


Celestial Clans: Moon

by Sagalink



Series: Celestial Clans [1]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Fanclan, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-24
Updated: 2015-05-24
Packaged: 2018-07-19 02:09:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 25,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7340362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sagalink/pseuds/Sagalink
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is imported from Fanfiction.net.</p><p>"Warriors of the Moon! We gather to welcome two new apprentices!" His eyes swept the crowd, then settled on the small shapes standing at the front. One was a mirror image of him, each hair on her pelt exactly as his, apart from her two front paws, which were dashed with white. The other was vastly different, with a fluffy grey coat, her tail dabbled with white specks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Allegiances

**Author's Note:**

> https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9760054/1/Celestial-Clans-Moon  
> This is where it was originally posted.

Moonclan

Leader

Fallstar- Big ginger tom.

Deputy

Fire-eye- Brown tom with white underbelly.

Medicine Cat

Orange-ear- White she-cat with one orange ear.

Streampaw- Grey she-cat with light blue eyes.

Warriors

Thunderstorm- Big black tom. (Apprentice: Rainpaw)

Mudfoot- White tom with brown dapples. (Apprentice: Lightpaw)

Lillypath- Orange she-cat.

Silverfur- Gleaming silver she-cat. (Apprentice: Blizzardpaw)

Ashface- Black tom with especially long fur; formerly a kittypet.

Sevenwind- Ginger she-cat with white streaks running down her back.

Bristletail- White tom.

Raggedtail- White she-cat. (Apprentice: Nettlepaw)

Quietfoot- Small brown tom.

Snowheart- Purely white tom.

Guards

Milkclaw- Grey she-cat with creamy white paws.

Cavepoppy- Black tom.

Apprentices

Rainpaw- Handsome sleek grey tom.

Lightpaw- Ginger she-cat with white forepaws.

Blizzardpaw- Grey she-cat with white dapples on her tail.

Nettlepaw- Black tom with white tail and underbelly.

Elders

Wishbelly- Dark brown tom.

Fishfang- Dark grey tom.

Bluecloud- Grey she-cat.

Sunclan

Leader

Stonestar- Solid grey tom.

Deputy

Birdclaw- Tortoiseshell she-cat.

Medicine Cat

Brightheart- Cream she-cat.

Warriors

Owlpelt- Brown and white speckled she-cat.

Fernfang- Calico tom.

Hazelheart- Beautiful hazel she-cat.

Dirt-tail- White tom with a brown tail.

Guards

Sandclaw- Sand-colored she-cat.

Obsidian- Sleek black tom. Came from a peculiar tribe of cats during a time of war.

Apprentices

Coralpaw- White and black she-cat

Queens

Icewhisker- White she-cat


	2. Prologue

Light shifted through the scraggly holes in the evergreens. A chill blew through the gathering cats, causing a wave of shivers, complaints, and raised heads to taste the air. Standing atop the steep ledge was the fire-like pelt of Fallstar. He stared at his clan with eyes the shade of bright new leaves during the warmer seasons.*** Pride shone in his eyes, vanity in his posture, but strong love in his claws. As his clan settled into positions below him, he cleared his throat and addressed his clans.

"Warriors of the Moon! We gather to welcome two new apprentices!" his eyes swept the crowd, then settled on the small shapes standing at the front. One was a mirror image of him, each hair on her pelt exactly as his, apart from her two front paws, which were dashed with white as though she had stepped in snow. The other was vastly different, with a fluffy grey coat, her tail, which was tucked neatly around her, dabbled with white specks like snow on a cloudy night.

"Lightkit, Blizzardkit, you have both reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed." He turned first to Lightkit, who bounced slightly in her excitement. "From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Lightpaw. Your mentor will be Mudfoot. I hope he will pass down all he knows on to you." There was a glimmer of amusement in his eyes as he watched the surprised young warrior step forward to greet his new apprentice.

He then turned to the other kit, who showed no signs of excitement besides the glimmer in her eyes. "Blizzardkit, from this day on you will be known as Blizzardpaw. Your mentor will be Silverfur. I trust she will teach you much." Silverfur stepped forward, her coat shining in the sun, and touched noses with the new apprentice.

A few cats were already chanting, but Fallstar didn't move from the rock. "Also, we have another cat who is long overdue for a ceremony. Snowpaw, step forward."

The white tom stalked forward as though someone had called him to clean the elder's bedding. He sat down, glancing up only once at the leader, his yellow eyes glimmering curiously. Fallstar jumped down from the ledge in a single bound showily, and meowed, "I, Fallstar, leader of Moonclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Snowpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Snowpaw lowered his ears a bit, as though he disagreed with his leader. "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Snowpaw, from this moment you will be known as Snowheart. StarClan honors your determination and patience, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Moonclan." There was a tensity in the air as Fallstar rested his muzzle upon Snowheart, who gave a reluctant lick to his shoulder.

The cats began to cry out the names of the three cats, excited for all the growing warriors. Snowheart bounded away from the crowd, but the two new apprentices chatted with their mother, Milkclaw. Fallstar watched them, pride heavy in his eyes.

***I know what many of you are thinking: IT'S FIRESTAR. I didn't do this for nothing or lack of creativity. I did this for the sake of an old connection, for these clans are genetically connected to the other clans. It just so happened that one of Firestar's ancestors happened to bear resemblance to him. I imagine this is no new idea, and it is of course a bit farfetched, but it is what I chose to do. And I'm the author, so no person shall tell me otherwise. :D


	3. Prospects

The forest was drowning with the dreamy scent of pines. No sounds pierced the air except the occasional twittering of a robin. Ears erect and nose raised hopefully, Lightpaw traversed carefully around twigs and crunchy leaves. She gave only a small twitch before standing stone-still as the slightest rustle caught her attention. Taking a long breath through parted jaws, she tasted the delicious scent of mouse. She scanned the area, and after a long few moments she saw a barely visible grey shape. She licked her lips and tensed her muscles, positioning her hind leg a kit-step back, and-  
SNAP! Alarm fluffed up her bright fur, but she quickly realized her own fault. The mouse, of course, darted deep into the safety of the bushes. A hiss of displeasure escaped her lips as she watched yet another perfectly good meal escape between her claws.

"Don't worry, Lightpaw. This is only your first hunting mission," Mudtail meowed encouragingly.

"I'm just wasting space and prey if I can't do things for the clan!" she grumbled, scratching up the dirt beneath her.

"Look at your blood," he said, "You've got the makings of a great warrior." There was a note of jealousy in his voice, himself not sharing this trait.

For a moment, Lightpaw was completely enthralled by an image of a fiery cat with two snowy paws standing heartily over her clan. She shook the thought off, forcing herself to act humble. There were many cats more worthy of being leader than her: Thunderstorm, Fire-Eye, Rainpaw. But even so, her mind wandered back to the image. Enlightened by the dream, the young she-cat dashed forward, skidding to a halt when a clearing jumped on her.

Before her spread a shimmering lake, the water's sides lined with algae. Bordering the lake was jutting rocks and scraps of gravel, from which it got its simple name: Rock Lake. Under the water, Lightpaw could visualize the scaly figures of fish waiting to be eaten. She eagerly stepped onto a flat rock and gazed into the water.

"This is where we go to get water usually," Mudtail explained. "It's not really as far away as it feels. Sunclan is four times as far away from camp."

"It must take a whole moon to walk all the way to the Gathering Place and back," Lightpaw complained, but just thinking about a Gathering excited her nonetheless.

Waving his tail to signal Lightpaw to his side, Mudtail picked his way back towards the camp, waving through the undergrowth, hardly less clumsy that the young apprentice. As they went, Lightpaw stopped in her tracks, the smell of mouse wafting up to her again. After a few hopeful moments, she spotted the grey figure in plain sight! As she turned to face it, it did the same, becoming paralyzed in fear. Lightpaw sloppily hopped to take advantage of the moment, and her paw landed right atop the warm body. She quickly grabbed the squirming animal in her jaws and killed it, tasting a few drops of blood ooze onto her tongue.

"Hey, nice going!" Mudtail exclaimed. Lightpaw stood proudly, her first catch dangling limply from her mouth.

They soon reached camp, emerging in the space open from countless moons of pawsteps. Lightpaw happily marched over to the fresh-kill pile and dropped her catch on top. Immediately, she spotted the familiar little shape of Blizzardpaw bounding towards her. Her fluffy tail waved with excitement to speak with her sister.

"You actually caught something," Blizzardpaw commented, gesturing the mouse. "I didn't do so well."

Lightpaw nodded. "It took a couple of tries, and I just barely got this one!"

Blizzardpaw reached down and took the mouse. Lightpaw realized that she was pretty hungry herself, so she plundered out a small thrush and walked beside Blizzardpaw to a sunny corner of camp. The two ate in silence until Blizzardpaw finished the small mouse.

"While me and Silverfur were out, we found a rogue stalking near the camp. Silverfur chased him off, but I feel like he was determined to get here."

Lightpaw glared at her with interest. "What did he look like?"

"He was completely black. He was kind of small, but really fast!" Blizzardpaw shuffled her paws awkwardly, trying to contain her excitement.

Lightpaw stood up after taking a final bite of the thrush. "If we see him again, we should ambush him!"

"Ambush who?" Rainpaw asked, padding over to join them. His sleek pelt was covered with leaves, as though he'd been rolling around in the forest.

Lightpaw swallowed a taunt, not wanting to insult the older apprentice. "Blizzardpaw and Silverfur ran into a rogue earlier."

Blizzardpaw nodded, staring at the bones of the mouse. "I'm not sure two new apprentices would stand a chance against a rogue," Rainpaw explained. "We'd rather not lose even more cats."

"Who'd we lose?" Blizzardpaw asked, finally meeting eyes with Rainpaw.

The grey tom's tail wagged happily. "I completely beat Nettlepaw! And he was so sure he was the best fighter the clan had."

Blizzardpaw glared at him. "You're a moon older than him. Of course you won."

"He was being way too cocky!"

Lightpaw jumped up. "You're being cocky! I bet me and Blizzardpaw could beat you!"

Ignoring Blizzardpaw's complaint, Rainpaw exclaimed, "You're on!"

Rainpaw led them over to a small clearing just outside the camp, his steps light in anticipation. Blizzardpaw tried to back out, but Lightpaw shot her down, seeming sure of herself. As soon as he stood in the middle of the clearing, Rainpaw turned to them and lowered himself, glaring with dark eyes. Lightpaw copied his stance, a quiet growl rumbling in her throat. Blizzardpaw stood warily, but did not join in their staring game.

After a tense few moments, Rainpaw darted at the two, yowling. Lightpaw ran forward, struggling to keep her claws sheathed. A sudden bout of fear ached inside her as she charged at the large cat, but she pushed forward with all her might. She realized that Blizzardpaw was a few steps behind her, reluctant but not willing to abandon her sister.

Back when Lightpaw was a kit, she remembered her aunt, Lillypath, teaching her to defend herself from larger animals, because at the time Sunclan and Moonclan were very tense. She was confident she could use this move to overpower the large cat. When she was only a rabbit hop away, she darted to the side. Rainpaw immediately skidded to a halt, but Lightpaw quickly leaped onto his back, grasping him with her claws. Yowling out, Rainpaw flipped himself over, catching Lightpaw by surprise and nearly crushing her beneath his weight.

Rainpaw swiftly jumped back onto his feet, facing Lightpaw. However, he again cried out, lashing behind himself. At first she didn't realize what was happening, but she then saw the grey shape of Blizzardpaw, her teeth clamped around Rainpaw's tail. Rainpaw's quick maneuver threw her off, and he followed by bringing a paw down on her head, knocking her into the dirt.

"Hey!" Lightpaw jumped forward to protect her sister, but Rainpaw threw himself upon her, pinning her down. That's a bit odd, Lightpaw thought as she looked into his dark amber eyes. He's making himself vulnerable by targeting me. Blizzardpaw could easily attack him from this stance.

A piercing yowl of anger echoed the clearing, belonging to neither of the three cats. Instead, it was Nettlepaw, who dashed across the clearing with insane speed, a black blur. He crashed into Rainpaw, hissing as though he were a Sunclan warrior who had just killed a kit. Completely stunned, Rainpaw went limp, staring up at Nettlepaw with horrified eyes.

Lightpaw flipped over onto her paws, too surprised by Nettlepaw to do anything but watch. After many heartbeats, Nettlepaw slowly backed up and allowed Rainpaw to scurry onto his feet.

"What was that?" Rainpaw growled, not allowing his gaze to depart from the apprentice.

Nettlepaw stared back with intensity. "Revenge. You unfairly attacked me and almost killed me!"

Rainpaw's ears lowered, not with anger but with fear and regret. Still, there was a forced tone in him meow. "I'm really sorry... but I can do no more to repay you than apologize."

Nettlepaw settled himself onto his paws comfortably, looking smug. "Sit completely still and take this."

Rainpaw stilled his tail, but asked, "What am I-"

His paw moved quick as a snake, batting Rainpaw on the check. Lightpaw watched, still stunned by the aberrant actions of the younger apprentice, and at her side she heard Blizzardpaw squeak in surprise. After a moment Rainpaw slowly raised himself to full height again to meet eyes with Nettlepaw, blood trickling from the fresh wound and staining his fur. Instinctively, Lightpaw jumped up, crackling tension filling the clearing. But after a few heartbeats, Nettlepaw stood and calmly walked in the direction of the camp. He stopped for a moment as he passed by Lightpaw, and murmured to her, "I'm sorry you had to see that. However, you should keep in mind, he really is right next to being a murderer. You can trust who you want here, but please consider me." There was hope in his eyes. "Maybe we'll talk later." With the final promise, he quickly slipped between the canopy, his black tail the last trace of him.

Lightpaw watched the leaves he had brushed dance back and forth. Now she was being dragged into their dispute. But she didn't know what side to take. She looked to her sister, hoping her wise sibling might offer something, but Blizzardpaw was over by Rainpaw, asking him what he had done to Nettlepaw. She spoke as though she were neutral, but Lightpaw had a feeling that she was backing Rainpaw.

"We were having an innocent sparring match," explained Rainpaw, "and he made a big deal out of his loss. I may have hit him a little hard, but for the most part, he's being a sore loser."

"I don't know him very well, but he's usually pretty fair," Lightpaw added, padding over to join the two. "He was always really nice to Snowpaw and us."

A quiet growl rumbled in Rainpaw's throat. "I bet that was an act. He's always been eerily sly."

There was no way to argue with that. Perhaps it was just in his nature, but he'd always acted mysterious and fox-like. Still, Lightpaw wasn't sure who to trust. Still, she didn't think Nettlepaw would have made such a big deal out of something so minute. Lost in thoughts, it was only the light brush of Blizzardpaw's tail that told her they were returning to camp, for the sun was nearly set. She hurried with them back to the camp, and immediately settled into her nest, her thoughts buzzing around her constantly.

Something was unsettling about the argument. Rainpaw seemed far too perturbed by the smaller cat, and Nettlepaw seemed way too serious about the whole argument. It was clear one of the cats wasn't being fully honest, but since she had little trust for either of them, she couldn't imagine which. Turning onto her other side, she shook it off. Perhaps they would both forget it in the morning. She couldn't allow herself to get caught up in other people's problems like some spider's prey, or she would end up a guard rather than a powerful warrior. Taking a deep breath and relaxing, she finally managed to doze off.


	4. Proposal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Okay...So I guess this my debut in this collaboration. Kikyo and I are switching off the chapters we write (point of views, specifically), so I'm doing this one! -Blizz

Blizzardpaw stretched with a yawn, the moss underneath crackling as it brushed against her thick fur. The apprentice stood and observed the den with a dazed aura. After she had fully awoken, Blizzardpaw exited the mass of brambles and leaves that combined to form the Apprentices' Den. A wave of absence had flooded over Moonclan's camp, leaving Blizzardpaw to ponder what conditions required such a number of cats.

Everyone must be patrolling, she decided with a sigh. Standing on large snowy paws, Blizzardpaw flicked her ears side to side in search of other clan members. An exhale of relief escaped her lips once she heard warriors rustling in their nests. A seldom few of the cats entered the camp clearing, Silverfur among them. Blizzardpaw's heart lept as she spotted her mentor; the small apprentice bounded towards her, glad to have seen a familiar face. Silverfur swiveled around to face Blizzardpaw, flicking her right ear, as if impatient.

"Hello, Blizzardpaw," the warrior mewed. Her apprentice nodded in response and parted her jaws to speak, but a loud yowl interrupted. A group of five loners sauntered into the Moonclan camp, a white tom with black spots in the lead. Fallstar, who had apparently stayed in camp, exited his den and padded towards the foreign group with utter regality.

The ginger tom sat before the lead intruder, showing immense arrogance doing so. "Who are you? What do you wish of us?"

A small huff escaped the white tom's lips. He quickly regained a formal posture and mewed, "I am Comet; my...members and I wish to journey to your Moonfalls. In other words, I wish to create a clan—Cometclan. We also need a chunk of your clan's territory to start off our lives with."

Blizzardpaw was overcome by curiosity as she watched Fallstar's face don an appalled expression. The ginger tom stood abruptly and faced Comet, who stared at the leader impassively.

"I'm not just going to simply give you my territory. Moonclan has worked hard to maintain ownership of this land, and it won't be so easily taken."

"Oh, please. You barely use the area we want, anyways," a red tortoiseshell she-cat besides Comet growled.

"Now, now, Blaze," Comet cooed.

Blaze scoffed and stomped towards Fallstar, looming over the leader as she glared down upon him. A small brown tabby behind Comet mewed, "Should we stop her?"

Comet shook his head. "No, Thrush."

Two of the loner's she-cats piped up, one with cream fur and the other with a white pelt.

"We really should stop her...," the creamy one whispered.

Stars seemed to shine in the white-pelted she's eyes. "Oh, come on, Dream. This will be interesting."

"Blaze might get us kicked out, Mirror!"

The loners continued to argue quietly amongst themselves; the scene amused Blizzardpaw greatly. If a cat can't even control four of his friends, what drove him to believe he could lead an entire clan? Her merriment was soon interrupted as Bluecloud stepped forward, her aged eyes dead-set on Blaze. The elder hissed and glowered at the large loner, her grey fur ruffled.

Bluecloud spat, "An old cat like me wouldn't appreciate what you filth are asking of us. I remember how hard I worked my hind to make sure that land was well-kept, and I'm not going to allow you bunch of mouse-brains to take that well-earned area away!"

Blaze growled and lowered herself to Bluecloud's level; her eyes seemed to glow with hatred at the elder. "If we take this land, it's less work for the warriors here. It'll appease our needs, and it will benefit you labor-wise. So unless you want to lose your eyes, I suggest you back away."

A low growl escaped Blizzardpaw's throat after hearing Blaze's threat. She crouched loosely, prepared to leap in case Blaze carried through with her vow. Many other cats did likewise.

The grey elder snarled and swiped at Blaze, agitation flaring in her eyes. "Leave my clan be, fox-heart."

All of Comet's group hissed and unsheathed their claws at Bluecloud's swipe.

Fallstar's face flashed with alarm. "Bluecloud, get away-"

Blaze interrupted the Moonclan leader's order with a vicious swipe to the opposing elder's neck.

A loud squeak escaped Blizzardpaw's lips as blood spewed out of Bluecloud's wound, yells of dismay soon following as the elder fell to the ground. Fallstar quivered with uncontrolled rage, causing him to leap onto Blaze with outstretched claws. Comet and his followers tensed as they prepared to leap. The Moonclan warriors did likewise, Blizzardpaw fumbling to copy their precise actions. Her mentor growled beside her; the growl was genuine and hate-filled, which surprised Blizzardpaw, despite Silverfur's impatient and cruel method of mentoring.

Fallstar's yell rang throughout the entire clearing. "You'll be sorry for murdering my mother!"

The tortoiseshell loner simply sneered and slashed open the leader's chest. And thus a battle ensued.

It was all a blur to Blizzardpaw—a loner and warrior here; Fallstar and Blaze there; flurries of tooth and claw encompassing the area. The puny apprentice leaped onto the nearest loner, who just so happened to be Thrush. His brown fur had a small splash of crimson blood to it, and his fangs were coated with the dark liquid. Blizzardpaw hesitated, which gave the loner an opportunity to scratch his opponent. The apprentice yelped as dull waves of pain flooded over her cheek. Rage clouded her thoughts and she retaliated, landing a decent blow to Thrush's foreleg.

"Stupid runt!" he yowled as he leaped onto Blizzardpaw's back. She crumpled under the cat's weight; an opportunity to attack once again presented itself to Thrush. A yowl escaped Blizzardpaw's throat as the enemy's fangs dug into her upper back, right where her two shoulder blades would meet. Thrush twisted his jaws around, causing the apprentice's agony to increase greatly. The weight of the runt's attacker lifted suddenly, allowing Blizzardpaw to stand on trembling legs.

When she turned to face Thrush again, both trepidation and relief flooded over the apprentice. Silverfur had the loner pinned, giving Blizzardpaw the relief she felt, but the she-cat had wished to prove her worth by defeating Thrush on her own, and thus a great void fell over her.

The apprentice's mentor growled after Thrush slashed open her abdomen. He pushed off Silverfur and returned to Blizzardpaw with an expression of agitation, which allowed him to pin the apprentice with no remorse. She struggled in vain, scratching and biting however she could. An uncontainable desire to defeat Thrush overcame Blizzardpaw as she dug her fore claws into his stomach, grimacing as the loner's blood stained her snowy paws. Thrush yowled with obvious pain, allowing the apprentice to kick him off. As Blizzardpaw ran forward in a tackle, the loner caught her by the scruff and flung her near a comrade of his.

"Trade off, Thrush!" the cat known as Mirror yelled. She grabbed Blizzardpaw's tail and yanked her close, much to the apprentice's dismay. Thrush was smaller and physically weaker than this loner; even then, Blizzardpaw had great difficulty even defending herself. Mirror interrupted the runt's thoughts with a quick swipe to the shoulder, causing Blizzardpaw to stagger. She retaliated with a dive at the loner's forelegs; the apprentice then slashed open her left leg, smiling grimly as Mirror yowled.

Out of nowhere, Fallstar's brassy yowl rang over the clearing. He lept onto a den's top, the blood of his enemy plastered across his sleek ginger pelt. All in the vicinity of the Moonclan leader halted; even Comet's members ceased their caterwauling.

"Leave now, before your friend Blaze bleeds to death!" Fallstar yelled. His booming voice echoed in the eerily silent camp as he gestured towards Blaze. The loner was surrounded by splatters of blood, and a small pool of the crimson liquid had begun to accumulate around her stomach. Comet immediately rushed forward and grasped Blaze's scruff, dragging her away from the small crowd of cats before Fallstar. The ginger tom glared at Comet and his followers with blatant hatred.

"I repeat: leave now or let your friend die."

The white loner spat and whirled towards the three remaining intruders. "We're leaving! Mirror, Thrush, help with Blaze."

Mirror and Thrush did so, carrying the delirious she-cat out of camp. Comet and Dream soon followed.

A formerly withheld exhale escaped Blizzardpaw's lips as the loners exited Moonclan's camp. Her puny muscles released their tension, and at that moment she realized that her body was so tense that some of her wounds refused to bleed properly. Yelping, the crimson liquid began to ooze out of her

scratches; however, none were worrying, save for the bite Thrush dealt to her back.

Silverfur located and padded towards her apprentice, observing the she-cat critically. "You should get that bite treated." The warrior herself had been treated; cobwebs were wrapped around her abdomen and right hindleg.

"O-Okay," Blizzardpaw stammered, still shaken, and started towards the medicine den, but when she saw how crowded it had become, she halted herself. About half of the cats waiting were coated with blood, mainly their own, and one required the support of a friend just to stand. "I can wait, actually...Compared to the ones waiting, my injuries aren't serious."

"Okay." Silverfur glanced away, but Blizzardpaw was able to detect slight admiration in her apprentice's decision. A shaky sigh escaped the runt's mouth as she trudged towards an isolated area of camp. She settled with trembling legs, worrisome thoughts whirling around her head. As she lay her head atop her paws, Blizzardpaw heard a joyous yowl emit from the camp entrance. Five cats, three warriors and two apprentices, entered with prey dangling from their jaws.

She recognized Rainpaw's voice the moment it rang: "We bring preeeey!"

Lightpaw, who was hauling a healthily-sized sparrow, joined Rainpaw. "Lots of food!" she mewed happily. Mudfoot chastised his apprentice for announcing as such, following Thunderstorm's example. After a quick reprimand, they both turned towards the camp. The prey they held fell to the ground as the warriors examined their fellow clanmates.

Milkclaw, who had joined the hunting patrol, uttered a yowl as she beheld Blizzardpaw. She dashed towards her daughter, and in turn the apprentice stood to greet the guard. Rainpaw glanced at Milkclaw and, after realizing why she yowled, dashed towards the she-cat. A flurry of questions escaped the two cats, bombarding Blizzardpaw to the point where she became overwhelmed.

"Blizzardpaw, you have blood all over your back!" Milkclaw wailed, nudging her daughter incessantly.

"I'm fine. Please stop doing that..."

"Go get that bite treated right now," Rainpaw growled, eying the injury angrily. Lightpaw soon padded over with a piece of prey. A chunk had already been devoured, and Blizzardpaw assumed her sister had done so herself.

The ginger apprentice dropped her meal and stared at her sister. "What happened?"

Rainpaw jumped and repeated Lightpaw's question.

"A group of loners came and asked to become a clan. Bluecloud...," Blizzardpaw paused as a wave of sorrow hit her, "Bluecloud snapped, and one of the loners killed her. After that, everyone started fighting; it was all a blur."

The three gathered around her paused. Rainpaw broke the silence by inquiring, "How many were there?"

"Five. I only fought one officially, though."

"Were they strong?"

"...Yeah. They were hard to hit."

"How big were they? Did any cats die? When-"

Blizzardpaw exhaled in exhaustion. "I'm really tired, Rainpaw... Can you ask me this stuff later?"

The tom's eyes filled with sorrow for a moment, but he quickly recovered and murmured, "Okay."

As she headed towards the now desolate medicine den, Blizzardpaw reviewed all that had occurred. The memory caused her to shudder and tune out Orangeear's questioning, and only when the medicine cat swiped Blizzardpaw with sheathed paws did she return to the present.

The apprentice exited a few moments later, her paws dragging against the ground. She trudged into the Apprentices' Den and collapsed onto her nest. Thoughts swirled around Blizzardpaw's head, but one profound and ominous question dominated the others:

When will Comet's group return?


	5. Pick

A cold draft passed through the camp, causing Lightpaw to grumble a complaint as her fur was tossed about. Leaf-bare was rapidly approaching, and every day seemed to bring a new silence to the air, a harder, colder earth, and less prey. Though she'd never seen it, she dreaded to imagine the days of snow, remembering the ways the elders so irately described it: bitter cold, blinding swirls of white, and scanty fresh-kill.

Glancing around camp, there was no sign of Mudtail. The only cats present were Milkclaw, Cavepoppy, and Streampaw She wondered briefly why so many cats were out at all times. They would obviously need extra hunting patrols for winter, but it seemed as though there were never more than three at camp. Even the guards were often going out. Then she remembered Cometclan. Perhaps Fallstar was sending patrols to ensure they stayed beyond clan borders.

As though on cue, Blizzardpaw eased out of the Apprentice Den. Each step seemed hesitant and stiff, as though she had honey on her paws. Lightpaw scampered over to her sister, filled with questions. Blizzardpaw watched Lightpaw wearily until they stood before each other. "Good morning, Blizzardpaw!" she greeted heartily.

"Morning..." Blizzardpaw muttered.

Lightpaw stared at her sister for a heartbeat, noticing for the first time her pained expression. "Maybe you should lay down." She craned her neck and looked over Blizzardpaw's shoulder. "The injury on your back still looks pretty bad." Blizzardpaw wordlessly sat down.

"So, how exactly did Bluecloud die?" Lightpaw started slowly.

Blizzardpaw answered with little emotion. Although Bluecloud had been her grandmother, the cats never seemed to get along. "She swiped at this big she-cat named Blaze, and Blaze cut her neck."

A memory briefly overtook Lightpaw. She recalled once in her kithood when she had been sneaking into the elder's den, trying to surprise the elders, when she'd heard a sharp meow from Bluecloud: "I will never accept this filth as my granddaughter, Milkclaw, plead as you will." Peering into the den, she had seen Milkclaw with the small grey shape of Blizzardkit at her side. Looking at the elder, she'd been surprised to see Bluecloud's green eyes staring right at her. She had run then, still filled with curiosity.

Shaking her head, Lightpaw dismissed the memory, focusing again on Cometclan. "What were the rogues like?"

After a thoughtful second, she answered with simply, "Not that different from us. Their leader seemed incompetent." She sounded amused.

"I guess they are in a sort of clan, so..." she trailed off, staring into the trees. She glimpsed movement at the camp exit, seeing the familiar black tail and white feet of Nettlepaw. There was an odd need for the truth suddenly tugging her away. Unable to contain her curiosity, she quickly dismissed herself. "Hey, I think I'm going to go hunting."

Looking a bit suspicious, her sister asked, "Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, it's fine!" Lightpaw squeaked. Knowing how unusual she was acting, she regained her composure and explained, "It's still hard to accept all the stuff going on recently, you know?"

Blizzardpaw nodded, seeming to understand. The kindness in her eyes made Lightpaw fill with guilt, but she turned and dashed into the trees. As soon as she was out of camp, she slowed to a halt and raised her head to breath in the scents around her. She quickly caught the fresh scent of Nettlepaw, and followed it best as she could through the trees. She was heading in a direction she'd never gone before, towards the Silver River, and beyond that Sunclan territory. She tried to pace herself as quickly as she could while still being quiet.

The strong scent of Nettlepaw wafted up to her so suddenly she halted completely, turning circles to search for him. In front of her, there was a small clearing with a flat stone in the center. Upon this stone sat the black-and-white cat. Lightpaw ducked apace into the undergrowth, hoping her bright fur wouldn't expose her, and watched him, waiting for a chance to talk. Now that she had found her target, she realized dimly that she wasn't sure what to ask.

"Hey, mouse-brain, the wind is blowing towards me. I can smell you." Nettlepaw seemed satisfied with himself as he stared at her form in the shadows.

Once the cautious she was sure he was referring to her, Lightpaw raised from her hiding spot and exclaimed, "I wasn't spying on you, so it's not like I was really trying to hide."

"What brings you to chase me through the forest, then?" he asked nonchalantly.

Lightpaw walked up to him, trying to look confident in herself. "I just was wondering about the fight you and Rainpaw had. You guys seem really serious about it."

He narrowed his eyes and growled, "Death and betrayal are serious matters."

"But Rainpaw said it was an accident!" Lightpaw confronted.

Nettlepaw's whiskers twitched in an amused manner. "What he did was no accident."

Lightpaw forced herself to sit very still and calmly asked, "What exactly happened?"

"I was hunting with Raggedtail," he began, sounding monotone, "and chased a squirrel a good way off. I almost caught it when that fox-heart jumped out of nowhere and landed on me. I managed to fend him until Raggedtail came over. Then he ran off."

He sounded honest, but his words clashed against Rainpaw's. Was it an innocent fight gone awry or a betrayal? She realized that there was a trustworthy cat she could ask for proof: Raggedtail. If Nettlepaw was telling the truth, she was a witness. Though Lightpaw didn't know the warrior too well, she'd heard a lot of good things about her being a kind and honest member of her clan. The determined apprentice nodded calmly, her mind set. "That's all I wanted to ask. I guess I should be going. Mudtail might be looking for me." Nettlepaw reluctantly let her go.

With a wave of her tail, she darted back to camp, not sure how she expected to find Raggedtail. Her determination and ambition kept her running until she again reached the familiar clearing. There was an oppressive silence, broken only by her breathing. She saw no cats in the clearing. Fearing for what might have driven them away, she prepared to spring.

Then, a large group of cats emerged into camp from the opposite end from her: Sevenwind, Fire-eye, Lillypath, Thunderstorm, Rainpaw, and Raggedtail. Suddenly, the camp felt wonted with the cats all talking cheerily and resting from the patrol. Lightpaw couldn't believe her luck and silently thanked Starclan as she approached Raggedtail, who was listening to Lillypath. As she reached the two she-cats, Lillypath stopped talking and greeted her. "Lightpaw, how are you?"

"Okay, I guess," she replied. She looked at Raggedtail. "Might I ask you a question?"

Seeming to sense her mood, Raggedtail stood up. "That's fine with me."

The two padded to a quiet corner of the camp. "What is it?" Raggedtail asked when they had settled themselves.

"You're Nettlepaw's mentor, right?" she asked, although she knew the answer.

Raggedtail nodded, curiosity burning in her differently-colored eyes. Lightpaw eagerly explained, "He's been saying that, three sunrises ago, you two were hunting when Rainpaw attacked him. Rainpaw says that he was actually having a sparring match. I thought you were the only cat who would know the truth."

Raggedtail looked somewhere behind Lightpaw, seeming deep in thought. "Yes, we were hunting. And Rainpaw did attack him. However," she advised, "don't blame Rainpaw too harshly. Nettlepaw and him have been at odds since they were kits."

Lightpaw ignored her, fury building up. "Why didn't anyone tell Fallstar?"

Raggedtail responded calmly. "It might have been a misunderstanding. I wasn't sure at the time, and I'm still not."

Lightpaw barely suppressed a hiss. "He tried to kill Nettlepaw! That deserves some attention."

"You weren't there!" Raggedtail growled. "Don't accuse me of being unfaithful."

Lightpaw knew fighting with the older cat would do her no good. She laid her fur flat again and nodded. "Sorry. And thank you for telling me."

Raggedtail stood and meowed, "I hope the matter is closed, then." She padded back over to Lillypath.

Lowering her ears in embarrassment as she realized she'd made a bad impression with the warrior, the ginger she walked slowly out into the clearing. Immediately, she spotted Blizzardpaw and Rainpaw talking. For a heartbeat, she ignored this, then registered her new knowledge of Rainpaw. She had to tell Blizzardpaw!

Rainpaw was the first to notice her tromping over. He didn't greet her, seeing the flames in her eyes. Blizzardpaw," she meowed, staring at her sister, "What are you doing?"

"Talking to Rainpaw," she meowed simply.

Looking between the two curious cats, she was unable to contain her words. She bent forward and muttered to Blizzardpaw, "Nettlepaw was right. Rainpaw attacked him while he was hunting, and Raggedtail got there just in time. I asked Raggedtail herself, and she said that it really did happen."

Blizzardpaw shook her head. "Are you sure? They might have misinterpreted each other."

Rainpaw glared at Lightpaw. "Who are you talking about?"

Unable to bear the sudden torment of fury, she hissed, "You, fox-dung! You can lie all you want, but I know you were trying to kill Nettlepaw. And I won't tolerate you."

Rainpaw's eyes flashed like lightning. "I wasn't trying to kill him!"

"Then what were you doing, attacking him while he was trying to hunt?"

There was a small pause, as though Rainpaw were redirecting his words. "I didn't attack him while he was hunting."

Lightpaw instinctively unsheathed her claws. "How about you go tell Raggedtail that?"

Finally, there was a satisfying silence as Rainpaw turned his head away from the ginger. "All right, look, I won't lie. I snuck up on him and attacked him. But not to kill him! I was confronting him, as you are to me now."

"I won't take that. You attacked him."

"He attacked me!" Rainpaw glanced at Blizzardpaw for support.

She turned to her sister and said, "I still think this is a misunderstanding. Nettlepaw though Rainpaw was attacking him." Lightpaw couldn't help notice the way both Raggedtail and Blizzardpaw lacked concern.

"You had your claws out and bit me on the shoulder, luckily not the neck." Nettlepaw walked over in his usual fashion of jumping in suddenly.

"Lies," Rainpaw snarled, glaring at the tom.

Lightpaw looked at her sister, and saw her bright blue eyes staring back. For a tense few moments, they locked eyes. Then, Lightpaw growled and turned her attention to Rainpaw. "I refuse to believe you."

After a moment of thought, Rainpaw backed away. "Fine. But siding with him will be your worst regret." With that promise, he turned tail and stalked away. Blizzardpaw glanced at her sister, for just a moment looking indecisive, then followed Rainpaw.

Lightpaw watched the two, feeling a wave of pain as she watched Blizzardpaw by her snow-flaked tail. She had believed her sister would support her, but now their moons of closeness felt torn away by this simple act. She felt Nettlepaw's tail brush lightly on her side. "I think your sister will be the one regretting her choice to go with him."

With a small nod, Lightpaw imagined her poor sister being faced against the older cat. She wouldn't stand a chance if he chose to attack her. It almost satisfied her to imagine her horror as she realized her mistake. She nodded to Nettlepaw, then heard a familiar meow. Mudtail came up beside her.

"Lightpaw! Sorry I left you here, but you were sleeping so soundly!" he teased.

The ginger cat abandoned all concern for her sister as she replied, "You just didn't feel like waking me up, right?"

Mudtail gave her a friendly nudge. "Come on, then. How about you give those pathetic hunting skills a try?"  
"You're not much better," she retorted, following him to the camp exit. She gave one last look at Blizzardpaw, who did the same. As they again met eyes, it seemed they both decided to cease care for the other, and turned away from each other in disgust. Lightpaw, under her anger, felt the seething torment of loss.

Drama is not going to slow me any longer, she decided. I'll wait for Rainpaw to make a foolish move, and kill him myself.


	6. Provoked

The sky was beginning to fade and fill with vibrant stars, but the full moon outshone everything. Elation filled Blizzardpaw's chest as Fallstar leaped onto the Tallrock. The leader waited patiently until the entirety of his clan was gathered, then stood as if he had all the time in the world. All eyes were upon him as he began to speak.

"Cats of Moonclan! Tonight is the Gathering. I have chosen to bring a number of cats; however, the group is larger than usual."

Murmurs and questions spread throughout the crowd. Blizzardpaw withheld her doubts, despite her overflowing amount of inquiries. The ginger leader yowled over the clan's caterwauls, and the gathered cats ceased their chatting.

"These cats are...Lilypath, Ashface, Quietfoot, Silverfur, Thunderstorm, Snowheart, Mudfoot, Milkclaw, Raggedtail, Nettlepaw, Rainpaw, Blizzardpaw, and Lightpaw. Fire-eye, Orange-ear, and Streampaw are coming as usual."

That is a large group, Blizzardpaw worriedly thought. The warriors around her seemed to share similar thoughts, as every expression was masked by confusion. A handful of fox-lengths away, Lightpaw stood, her ginger tail flicking back and forth behind her.

"Why are so many cats going?" the apprentice demanded. Mudfoot quietly hissed a reprimand to Lightpaw, but the ginger she remained standing. A wave of annoyance unconsciously flooded over Blizzardpaw at her sister's tone, nearly causing the runt to hiss aloud. She forced her fur to lie flat as Fallstar began speaking again.

The leader swiftly glanced at Lightpaw before announcing, "Sunclan and Moonclan have been at odds since the two clans were founded. But now, tensions are higher than ever. A large group is coming to the Gathering in case Sunclan decides to break their pact and attack us."

Lightpaw begrudgingly sat down at Fallstar's claim. The ginger tom declared the meeting adjourned, causing the gathered warriors to disperse. As she glanced at her sister, Blizzardpaw etched forward, hoping to speak with Lightpaw. The other apprentice noticed as she drew near, though, and marched away with a refusal to even acknowledge her sibling's existence.

A wave of sorrow hit Blizzardpaw, but her feelings soon passed as unnoticed due to the flurry of exiting cats. The apprentice scrambled after them and skidded to a halt next to Silverfur, who lightly swatted her right ear.

"You're late. Again," Silverfur hissed in a low voice.

"S-Sorry."

Blizzardpaw relaxed slightly as Moonclan continued its trek. A string of scuffling caught the apprentice's attention, causing her to glance behind her. Rainpaw bounded forward with loud and disruptive shuffles of leaves and underbrush; an embarrassed Thunderstorm followed at a slower pace. The sleek tom slowed as he neared Blizzardpaw, a smile plastered across his face.

"Hi, Blizzardpaw!" he greeted cheerfully.

"Hey."

"This is your first Gathering, right? I've been to a few; they're really fun."

"Fun? Just the thought of it makes me nervous. Surrounded by all of those cats, and some from Sunclan, at that."

Rainpaw simply shrugged and began lightly stroking Blizzardpaw's back with his tail. "It's not that bad."

The runt nodded absentmindedly, ignoring Rainpaw's tail. A loud yelp escaped her lips as the older cat's tail hit her old back injury. The noise caused Rainpaw to swiftly yank his tail away, staring at Blizzardpaw worriedly. The latter sighed shakily as her pain subsided, returning Rainpaw's glance.

"Your tail hit my injury, that's all."

Rainpaw released a long exhale. "Sorry."

"It's fine."

Thunderstorm silenced them with a low growl. "We're at the river."

Blizzardpaw returned her gaze towards the scenery in front of her, just then noticing the gurgle of water and pebbles. She followed those in front of her, shivering as the shallow water flew over her large paws. Her ability to maintain a steady footing was tested, as there was an uneven distribution of pebbles underneath. As the apprentice padded onto dry land, a shadow containing blotches of light fell. Blizzardpaw looked up to see a scattering of large, thick trees; a small group of cats were gathered on the biggest tree's lower branches. A larger group of cats were present below the canopy, and as Blizzardpaw neared, she realized they were chatting animatedly, some impatient and others downright accusing.

Fallstar announced his clan's presence with a noble yowl as he bounded towards the huge tree. The other Moonclanners dispersed and mingled with Sunclan, leaving Blizzardpaw confused and nervous. Rainpaw nudged her towards an unfamiliar apprentice. She glanced at Blizzardpaw with shining eyes before bounding towards Rainpaw with exaggerated leaps.

"Hi, Rainpaw! It's really nice out tonight, huh?" she squeaked happily.

Such a high voice…, Blizzardpaw thought grimly as the Sunclan apprentice chattered incessantly. Rainpaw just smiled and nodded.

Blizzardpaw shivered as the she mewed, "Hey, who's that?"

Rainpaw glanced at the runt sitting besides him. "Oh, this is Blizzardpaw. She became an apprentice two moons ago. Blizzardpaw, this is Coralpaw. She's around my age, surprisingly."

Coralpaw bounced and donned a golden smile. "Nice to meet you! I hope we can get along."

"Too high…," Blizzardpaw muttered to herself. "Too happy, too bubbly..." ***

Rainpaw nudged her and gave a glare that screamed, "Respond now."

The runt exhaled and murmured, "It's a pleasure to meet you as well."

"Hey, how's your training going? I bet you've caught quite a platoon of mice already. Are you good at fighting? Is your mentor nice? He is, right? Right? I guess so; you seem nice, so your mentor must be nice. Hey-"

Blizzardpaw growled loudly. "Can you shut up; you're hurting my ears."

The Sunclan apprentice paused, her jaws agape in mid sentence. Rainpaw shot a murderous look at Blizzardpaw before Coralpaw began to utter sobbing noises. She sat and wailed like a helpless kit, causing nearby warriors to stare.

Rainpaw growled and stared at his fellow apprentice. "You hurt her feelings."

"Yeah, well, she hurt my ears."

"I don't care if she hurt your ears; be nicer next time."

Blizzardpaw growled and stomped away, her ears pounding due to Coralpaw's high-pitched wails. She settled in a secluded area of the Gathering area, muttering to herself as small groups of cats chatted amiably. Once the apprentice began to calm, Blizzardpaw realized she was the only one not conversing.

Milkclaw will ask how the Gathering was for me, so if I tell her I didn't speak to anyone, she'll start whining and embarrass me…

The runt sighed and observed the surrounding cats, hoping to locate a familiar face. She stood and slowly padded towards the main group of cats, having glimpsed a glimmer of ginger fur. As she neared, a loud yowl was emitted from Fallstar, signaling the Gathering's commencement.

Stonestar stood slowly and observed the gathered cats with aged eyes. He glanced at Fallstar and commented, "You brought quite a number of cats."

The Moonclan leader nodded tersely. "Indeed."

No suspicion showed in the wise leader's eyes as he returned to the Gathering. "Sunclan has been very successful as of late; probably our most notable accomplishment was the birth of Icewhisker's kits."

A calico tom near Blizzardpaw stood and yowled, "Icewhisker's and I's kits are adorable!"

Chuckles flowed throughout the gathered cats; one mewed, "Indeed, Fernfang."

Stonestar ignored his prideful warrior and continued. "We have found much prey, and we are more content than ever. Training has gone well; our clan is growing stronger by the day. Any challengers will fall before our might." The grey tom glanced at Fallstar as he stepped back.

Ripples of angry comments rushed over the Moonclanners, yowls soon following. Fallstar yelled, "Enough!"

The uproar ceased immediately at the grand leader's angry call.

Fallstar sighed and began to speak. "Moonclan has been successful as well. We have two new apprentices, Lightpaw and Blizzardpaw."

Why! The runt nervously thought.

Amidst the cheers of congratulations and joy from the warriors, Blizzardpaw spotted Lightpaw. She was sitting proudly, her chest puffed out to the max. The apprentice seemed to bask in the spotlight she was given. However, Blizzardpaw was the complete opposite; she wished she could just curl into a ball and pass as unnoticed.

The ginger tom waited patiently until the crowd calmed. "We have caught much prey, and our clan continues to grow bigger and bigger."

Stonestar tenaciously stood as Moonclan's leader paused, but he immediately sat after realizing Fallstar was preparing to speak.

"Also... A group of loners led by a tom named Comet have approached us. They wish to be known as Cometclan…"

Yowls of confusion and outrage sounded from both clans. Blizzardpaw yelped as Fernfang yelled, "Don't let them near my kits!"

Fallstar's patience snapped as he yowled, "Be quiet, all of you!"

"He doesn't seem very happy today," Blizzardpaw murmured to herself once the caterwauling had died down.

A sigh escaped the leader's lips. "As I was saying, they approached us and asked to be a clan. However, they are troublemakers and murdered Bluecloud, a former elder of Moonclan. A battle ensued afterward. I ask that if you spot this group, chase them out with no hesitation."

"I will decide if they are an enemy of my clan, Fallstar. Orders are given to them by me," Stonestar mewed.

"This isn't an order; it's a recommendation. Though I do think it would be wise to make it an order."

Stonestar growled quietly before muttering, "Of course, O great Fallstar."

The Moonclan leader scoffed and yelled, "Gathering dismissed!"

The two leaders leaped off the branch they sat upon, the deputies and medicine cats soon following. Fallstar flicked his tail, signaling for his warriors to return to camp. Blizzardpaw stood and bounded towards Rainpaw once she had located him. The tom ignored her presence, even when Blizzardpaw muttered his name.

"Um...I'm sorry for upsetting Coralpaw. Her voice was really hurting my ears, so I couldn't think very well," she murmured.

Rainpaw sighed and glanced at Blizzardpaw. "I wasn't really mad. I just didn't want to deal with her crying, that's all."

"Oh."

The clan padded in silence until they arrived at Moonclan's camp, where the warriors then dispersed. Most loitered around the camp, whereas others trudged right into the Warriors' Den. Blizzardpaw was one of the latter, having sprinted into the Apprentices' Den at the earliest opportunity. Rainpaw followed and settled on his nest; gentle snoring was heard a few moments later.

The runt curled into a ball atop her own nest and began to slip into slumber, but Lightpaw entered with a small laugh.

"Mudfoot wasn't lying; Gatherings are fun," she thought aloud, collapsing onto her nest. Blizzardpaw looked at her and summoned what courage she had, wishing to speak with her sibling.

"H-Hey, Lightpaw…?" she began. "I was wondering if we could train together tomorrow-"

"Sleeping," the ginger mewed without so much as a glance.

"Oh...Okay." Blizzardpaw sighed and attempted to sleep once again, but with Lightpaw's response, it was nearly impossible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***I sent this scene to Kikyo via Skype and she responded with:
> 
> If Coralpaw had a phone
> 
> Me: i hope we can get along! :D:D 3 :3 :P
> 
> Blizz: o-o
> 
> You have been blocked.


	7. Passing

The bright hues of green-leaf surrounded and rained down on Lightpaw. She rolled around in the dirt for a moment, breathing in the fresh scents of the camp. She felt a paw shove her over, causing her to spring up in surprise. However, her attacker had the familiar green eyes and grey pelt she knew so well. She prepared to spring on her "attacker" when she felt a nudge on her flank, this time rougher.

When she turned again, she instead saw Rainpaw. He stared at her, his amber eyes glimmering in a hostile manner. The smaller cat sat up, her fur fluffing up a bit. "What?"

He turned around, his tail passing right before her face. "You sleep too much."

Glancing around, Lightpaw realized that the other apprentices were already out. She followed quite a few paces behind Rainpaw, trying to hold herself up over her embarrassment. When she emerged in the clearing, an eerie quiet shifted down her spine. There were plenty of cats in camp, but they talked in murmurs and nods. At first, she didn't understand why everyone appeared so moody, but then she saw what the cats were all gathered around. There was a bundle of cats crouched around a shape of grey fur matted with blood. Surprise and fear hit her like a monster raging down a Thunderpath.

She tilted her ears, trying to hear their conversation. Her father and Orange-ear were meowing quietly to each other. When her father spoke, she heard a painful amount of distress in his voice. "I understand."

"Do you want me to speak for you?" Orange-ear asked him.

He shook his head gravely. "I can't be put down from my duties."

Lightpaw took a step back as the full of the situation became clear. Then, she darted towards Lilypath, aware of the eyes of her clan watching her with empathy. She pushed past Streampaw, determined to see her aunt. Her body was twisted in an uncanny manner, her eyes open slightly to reveal her dim green eyes. Lightpaw shivered at the sight, unable to turn away until a tail wrapped over her eyes. The ginger growled and turned to the cat. It was Nettlepaw.

"Back off and save your mourning for the vigil." Taken aback by his unusually serious tone, she obeyed his without question. She still stood in the empty clearing made by the cats, but not so close she could see Lilypath.

Among the cats, the grey-and-white face of Blizzardpaw stood out, looking a bit confused. With a spark, her bright eyes registered surprise. However, she did little more than shake her head before backing out of the crowd, looking unconcerned. Anger burned in Lightpaw's chest. How could she not care for her own family members?

"Moonclan!" Fallstar addressed the cats with a firm voice. "We have suffered a great loss, but not in mystery. Nettlepaw claims to have witnessed the attack. And, unsurprisingly, this is the work of Cometclan."

Angry hisses and yowls emitted from the clan, hatred spreading like wildfire through the crowd. Fallstar allowed his clan a few moments before continuing. "I have decided that we have no choice but to drive them from out territory. And, fortunately, we can also thank Nettlepaw for finding their camp."

Nettlepaw nodded to the crowd. He locked eyes with Lightpaw, who mouthed a thank you. Fallstar's words acted as twigs to her, fueling the fire in her heart. She was going to help, no matter what.

The sun was just touching the dark forms of pine trees on the horizon as Lightpaw emerged in camp. She could see Fishfang, Wishbelly, and Fallstar in the center of the clearing. As she slowly padded towards them, Raggedtail bounded over to the group as well.

"Fallstar, I found a place I think you'll like," she explained. "It has some nice scenery."

He nodded. "Thank you. I'll look at it in a moment." He turned to his daughter, then glanced around. "Where's Blizzardpaw?"

The apprentice felt irritation build up again in her system. It seemed as though Blizzardpaw had no care for her own family! Understanding, Fallstar meowed, "She's not with you. Can you go find her?"  
"What?" Lightpaw's fur began to fluff out in anger. "If she doesn't care for her family, then that's her problem!"

"Lightpaw." Fallstar spoke demandingly, causing his daughter to shrink back a bit. "Go find her and bring her here."

Her attempts to fight exhausted, she began to search for her sister. After checking a few dens, she saw Sliverfur padding into camp, holding a thrush. Blizzardpaw followed close behind with a mouse, her face dull and lacking. Huffing in annoyance, Lightpaw stomped over to her sister. "Hey, you're late. We were about to start the vigil."

Silverfur glared at her, seeming to sense the anger and blame in the ginger's voice. "I kept her out too long. I apologize."

For a moment Lightpaw felt her blood boiling, but she couldn't fight facts. Perhaps Silverfur has just kept her awhile. With a jerk of the head, she lead Blizzardpaw to the middle of camp. Only Orange-ear was there, shuffling her paws. When she saw the two, she stood and motioned for them to follow her. At a swift pace, she led them to a clearing very close to the camp entrance. The area was very scenic, even in leaf-fall. The are ran very slightly uphill, and seemed to be lined with rocks.

A lot of the clan was there, all seated around Lilypath. The elders were busy digging a hole for her to rest. This made Lightpaw even angrier, feeling that the vigil had started without her because of Blizzardpaw. She attempted to put this aside as she stepped forward to honor her aunt. Quickly her surrounding thoughts faded at the eerie sight of a still body. The body seemed to almost stand up as Lightpaw's imagination toyed with her. Perhaps she was unable to see Lilypath dead.

She remembered not only the battle technique Lilypath had taught her, but also the kindness she had. Once, when she was all alone in the nursery, scared and hungry, her aunt had been the one to enter and accompany her until her mom returned with Blizzardkit at her side. She never knew where the two had been, only that she had felt safe when the grey warrior had comforted her. Returning for her daydream, she again faced the still body. She nearly called out to her, as though she were merely asleep. The last lingering sights of her tail twitching or her head raising faded away, and Lightpaw, with a heavy sigh, accepted that her aunt was no longer there.

Blizzardpaw stood and slipped by Lightpaw to lie next to her aunt. Lightpaw followed a moment later, struggling again to ignore her conflicting thoughts about Blizzardpaw. Even as she breathed in the scent of her aunt, waves of sadness and loss sinking through her, she was still aware of Blizzardpaw next to her, her face emotionless, despite the situation. Eventually, it was time for the burial. As she watched, she noticed her sister shuffling her paws impatiently. Does this truly mean nothing to you? She felt her temper finally pushing over her sadness, perhaps even using it as fuel.

"You have somewhere more important to be than this?" she muttered.

Blizzardpaw looked at her curiously. "No..."

"If you don't care about this, you can leave," Lightpaw grumbled. "You're just taking up space this way."

"I do care about her," Blizzardpaw said, watching the burial in a mysterious manner. "I wasn't as close to her, but I still cared."

"I see," Lightpaw scoffed.

"I'm not lying." There was the slightest touch of irritation in the grey cat's voice.

"Really?" Lightpaw hissed. "I think you need to work on your acting."

Blizzardpaw growled for just a moment, but quickly cut it off and muttered, "You have trust issues. Not a good leadership skill."

"What did you say?" Lightpaw seethed, barely keeping her claws sheathed. She finally noticed her father's eyes digging into her. She looked back at him as though she could convey her feeling to her father so he would understand her, but he continued to glare, making her feel guilty, so she fell silent. However, her anger was not quenched. On every possible occasion, she glanced dirtily at her sister, wishing torture upon her. Suddenly, she felt a light lap on her shoulder.

"Your aunt fought bravely in her last moments." She felt the smooth, yet oddly reassuring voice of Nettlepaw. He watched her intensely.

"Of course. She was passionate in everything she did." Lightpaw felt glad to be able to convey her feelings with someone. She heard a rustling to her side as Blizzardpaw stood up. At first, it appeared she were actually leaving, but she sat down by Milkclaw. "Glad she left," Lightpaw muttered.

"Why's that?" Nettlepaw asked. "Is she still siding against you?"

Lightpaw nodded. "And she clearly has no care for our aunt!"

Nettlepaw simply laughed. "Of course. She lacks care for most cats in the clan, I imagine..."

"Except Rainpaw," Lightpaw finished bitterly.

"Good, then. If she wishes to choose that path, let her."

"Still," Lightpaw grounded up the earth with her paws, "She was never so foolish before. Can cats really change this much?"

"No," Nettlepaw meowed. "I don't this so. But maybe she was always stupid."

Lightpaw nodded. If her sister truly lacked care for her own clan, then as a leader's daughter, she would gladly abandon her. And besides, she had more important things to focus on than this.

She felt Nettlepaw's tail delicately wrap around her back. At first she was alarmed, but the gesture began to comfort her. "We'll be the ones to strike her and Rainpaw down. They may have the clan's trust, but they'll never have mine."

"Or mine," Lightpaw agreed. With an ally, she could easily defeat her weaker sister.

The two talked awhile longer until they were the only two left in the clearing. Then, they returned to the Apprentice Den, where Blizzardpaw and Rainpaw were fast asleep. Lightpaw collapsed onto her nest, tired but satisfied. She watched Blizzardpaw's sleeping form rise and fall peacefully. You'll be shown no mercy just because we're related. The clan will not fall.


	8. Percieve

The training hollow was filled with the cries of determined apprentices, each striving to defeat the other. Dirt and clay flew as Blizzardpaw was thrown across the arena. She landed with a soft thump, as the malleable ground cushioned her landing. The runt attempted to stand, only to fall with an exhale of defeat. Rainpaw padded over with an expression of apology.

"Sorry...That was a little rough, wasn't it?" he mewed, assisting Blizzardpaw to her paws.

The she-cat swiftly shook out her fur; splotches of dirt clung to her pelt like a tick would. She was panting slightly, a result of the day's intense training. "It's fine; you were only performing the move you were taught."

Blizzardpaw trudged towards Silverfur, who seemed to simmer with impatience. She sat with sluggish movements, thoughts whirling around her drained mind. The apprentice's mentor swatted Blizzardpaw's ear with her tail.

"You haven't won a single training session in days. You're doing worse than some kits when it comes to maneuvers…," Silverfur muttered.

"Sorry."

"An apology won't make you a warrior, Blizzardpaw. Even your hunting has gone downhill; you usually catch a few mice. Do you not care about your future?"

"I do. Please stop criticizing me so harshly. You don't know why I'm so horrible right now, so you have no right to reprimand me..."

Blizzardpaw shuffled her paws in an attempt to busy herself, as Silverfur was silent and brimming with anger. As the warrior began to lecture the runt, she became submersed in her own torrent of worries and thoughts.

Why was Lilypath killed? Why didn't she show—no, feel—much emotion at her own aunt's burial? Why is Lightpaw so hostile now? What did she do? Did her own logic conflict with family relations? Is that it?

"Blizzardpaw! Pay attention!"

The apprentice yelped as Silverfur nipped her tail. Blizzardpaw stared at her mentor with frightened blue eyes, pulled by both her maelstrom of a mind and the warrior's fierce gaze. Silverfur sighed and turned towards camp, having relented.

"This better not become a habit," she stated as she walked. The apprentice followed begrudgingly, her paws dragging. Rainpaw sprinted over to Blizzardpaw's side with a concerned expression.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Sure."

"Okay, you're not fine. What's wrong? Did I hit you too hard?"

Blizzardpaw contemplated how to explain her emotions for a long moment. "Imagine that I'm having to drag a large rock. The rock represents the burden that is Lightpaw's anger towards me. Each day it gets heavier and heavier; after Lilypath's burial, its weight almost doubled. Now I can barely walk because of the rock's weight. That's probably the best way to explain how I feel."

Rainpaw padded in silence for a moment, absorbing the analogy's meaning. He sighed before mewing, "Her anger's partially my fault. If you need to vent or something, I'm always there." The tom nodded at his younger companion before breaking towards Moonclan's camp. Blizzardpaw exhaled and entered the clearing; the noise that accompanied warriors and other clan members hit her ears.

She trudged towards a corner of camp, wishing to rest and linger over her inquiries. The muffled conversation of Ashface and Bristletail drew her attention. Keeping care to not interrupt, Blizzardpaw listened to the two toms.

"Fallstar's been rather...distant lately," Bristletail murmured.

"Who wouldn't be? He lost two family members in less than three moons. Dealing with something like that would make any cat depressed," Ashface responded.

"Milkclaw has also been quiet lately. Do you think she's grieving over the two as well?"

"Maybe…She could also still be sad about her two dead kits."

Blizzardpaw perked her ears at Ashface's statement. She searched every memory of hers for two other siblings, but none were present. At Bristletail's voice, the apprentice refocused her attention on the warriors.

"She had two other kits?" Bristletail inquired, surprise evident on his face.

"No one really talks about it. She gave birth to three kits, but only one lived to see the next day."

"You sound so casual about it..."

"Really? Oh, I guess so." Ashface purred in his detached manner.

Blizzardpaw stood and bolted towards a quieter area of camp, her mind whirling. She meekly sat and stared at the ground, processing all that she heard. The apprentice was baffled at the information's extremity. It made no sense to Blizzardpaw; Milkclaw and Fallstar had two kits, so surely a second survived?

Right? Blizzardpaw glumly pondered.

The she-cat shivered and padded towards the fresh-kill pile, dimly aware of her need to sate her hunger. A familiar meow caught Blizzardpaw's attention; she turned to face the noise's source, who so happened to be Lightpaw. The ginger apprentice was dining with both Fallstar and Milkclaw, smiling with content. Her mother was laughing joyously, and Fallstar was barely containing a sound of mirth. Blizzardpaw grimaced as a commonly-felt wave of pain hit. Her family, who she assumed would include her for something as rare as a meal together, ate with only three parts of the group present.

She trudged over, a mouse clamped between her jaws. An urge to simply retreat and bury herself flooded over Blizzardpaw, as the group's merriment died when she approached. Lightpaw glared at her sibling with unchecked loathing, causing the weaker apprentice to shrink.

"I was wondering if I could join your meal…," Blizzardpaw murmured, unable to speak louder.

Milkclaw flashed a small smile. "Of course."

"Don't sit near me," Lightpaw growled. Fallstar shot a threatening glare towards the ginger she-cat before turning to Blizzardpaw, a kind smile on his face.

"I thought you were still training; I would've grabbed you, had known you were here."

The grey apprentice simply nodded, settling as far away from Lightpaw as possible. She only wished for the comfort of being near others, not another fight. Blizzardpaw nibbled on her food for a few moments, as she wasn't exactly hungry. An awkward silence fell over the four cats. Lightpaw continued shooting dirty looks at her sister, uninterrupted by Milkclaw and Fallstar.

"So... How was training today?" Fallstar mewed, breaking the silence.

"It was okay."

"Tch! It was awful; Blizzardpaw lost every battle, and it wasn't by a close margin. I would've easily killed her, had it been a real-"

"Lightpaw!" Milkclaw growled.

"It's fine. She's right," Blizzardpaw mewed.

Lightpaw stood abruptly, grabbing her half-finished hare. "I'm not hungry anymore." The she-cat stomped off with ignorance to her parents' pleas.

Blizzardpaw exhaled and shifted, contemplating whether to take her leave as well. Fallstar and Milkclaw were silent, eating their prey methodically.

The apprentice glanced at her parents. "I um... I heard some things today."

Milkclaw jumped before responding, "Like what?"

"I heard Ashface say that you had three kits, but only one lived... Is that true?"

Fallstar parted his jaws to speak, but no sound came out. His mate stared at the ground with a mask of sorrow and hesitancy.

"...Is it?" Blizzardpaw croaked, her heart pounding.

"W-Well…Yes and no. We did have three kits, but two survived and one died. Ashface got them mixed up," Fallstar stammered.

"Okay. Thank you for answering."

Burying her meal's leftovers, Blizzardpaw wondered if Fallstar was lying or not. She left after briefly thanking her parents; the apprentice padded towards the Apprentices' Den, her thoughts still an unorganized cyclone.

He was so hesitant when answering...And Milkclaw looked as if she were about to fall apart. That's it. They're obviously hiding something. If I don't gain clarification soon, I might fall into a lie-induced insanity.


	9. Pique

Not a single quiver interrupted the undergrowth of the deep woods. A group of stray birds called to each other, creating a gentle layer of white noise. In the bleak, monotone colors of the forest, the bright orange shape of Lightpaw stood out clearly as she slowly edged forward, as though inching towards the brink of a cliff. Before the cat sat a bird, proud but feeble. Lightpaw licked her chops as she watched it twitch about naïvely. At last, she sprung forward, her tense muscles powerfully bursting her forward. Caught by the wing on the cat's claws, the bird stumbled right into its predator. The ginger swiftly grabbed it tight in her jaws, one tooth piercing its neck with a faint crack.

Tail high with satisfaction, the apprentice skipped through the woods until she emerged upon Rock Lake. Tall tooth-like rocks jutted incredicbly out over the surface on one side, the tallest reaching nearly tree-lengths up. Not wanting to return to camp just yet, she dug into the soft earth just before the rocky border of the lake and hid her prey cleverly, making sure its scent was overpowered by the soil's. Then, she bounded to the water's edge, watching the surface silently as though she were hunting fish. Her thoughts swirled until she was unaware of the lake completely.

Bluecloud... Lilypath... Who's next? Blizzardpaw? Would I even care if she died? The cat shook her head, knowing the answer would always be yes, no matter how she hated her sister's ideals. Like supporting Rainpaw. He can jump in the lake for all I care. Maybe Blizzardpaw wouldn't be such a mouse-brain if he wasn't around to feed her dung.

Things aren't looking up for Moonclan. We have the weather and Cometclan and Sunclan... We can't have these internal things too. Blizzardpaw is starting to get in everyone's way.

"Thinking again?" Lightpaw nearly jumped out of her pelt when she heard the meow of Nettlepaw.

"Can you not always sneak up on me?" Lightpaw pleaded irately. "And why are you here?"

He shuffled his paws absentmindedly. "Odd luck, we have, meeting a lot. I was here for... private business."

Lightpaw narrowed her eyes. "What sort of business?" Normally, she wouldn't be so skeptical of her friend, no matter how queer he sometimes acted. But, possibly out of pent-up frustration, she glared at him, expecting a real answer.

"Well... I've been trying to learn to fish," he admitted with a hint of embarrassment.

"Really?" Lightpaw was enlightened by the though. Fishing was a sort of activity many cats considered unnecessary, but all the greatest warriors had learned to do so. "I've wanted to fish, but I never really had free time. And I don't know where to start!"

Nettlepaw thought for a moment, then said, "I can teach you what I know."

Lightpaw agreed eagerly. The black-and-white tom led her up a rock jutting up a tree-length, ending steeply on one end. Curious as to what they would learn from such a height, she followed. At the cliff's brink, Nettlepaw sat calmly, looking over the huge lake. She sat behind him, an odd sensation passing through her as she noted how their fur lightly touched. She shifted a kitten-step away, feeling awkward, averting her eyes over the steep edge of the rock.

"Lightpaw, you've been a great friend. Many don't trust me," he glanced away in a sad manner before continuing, "but you do. I appreciate your generosity all this time."

"Oh, please," Lightpaw said humbly, but she felt flattered nonetheless.

"I think you'll make a great leader to the clan. Success with follow you like your own shadow."

Was she really worthy of leadership? The thought of all her hard work paying off excited her greatly, and she was determined to master all her skills with a renewed fire of passion. She nearly stood up, prepared to start fishing, but he pressed on.

"War is coming," he stated. Lightpaw could quickly recognize what he meant. Cometclan's hostile actions recently and the tense atmosphere between Sunclan and her own clan seemed to simmer, only held from bursting by leaf-bare's struggles. "I plan to fight hard in this war, and win."

Lightpaw nodded. "I as well. I honestly..." she paused a second, wondering if she would sound vain. "I want to be an important part in this war. A hero, of sorts."

"It would certainly set you up for success," Nettlepaw meowed, sounding deeply happy, as though he really wanted her to.

Lightpaw opened her jaws, but Nettlepaw continued. "But are you sure you're prepared? There is more danger around you than you realize."

Lightpaw shook her head. "I can see it clearly. Cometclan, Sunclan, and Rainpaw are all problems we must address."

He laughed. For a few heartbeats, Lightpaw wanted to laugh too, but she couldn't see what he was amused by, so she inquired, "What's so funny?"

He looked her dead in the eye, excitement lighting his features. "You are a great cat, but you suffer from one weakness, you know. You're very naïve."

Lightpaw tipped her head a bit. "Am I?"

"On your paws." Lightpaw did so, confused but willing. "See? Obeying me without question."

He's making a point, Lightpaw realized, looking into the lake's depths many cat-lengths below, temporarily caught in a web of thoughts. She jerked her head up and meowed, "So what-"

Nettlepaw stared at her with dilated pupils, muscles tensed, jaws gaping slightly to bare his teeth, but his tail twitching in a happy manner. The ginger apprentice felt a jolt of surprise. Is he going this far to teach me to not be so trusting? He sat in the stance, claws unsheathed and prepared to draw blood.

No, she though. No, no, no. She truly was naïve! Without a problem Nettlepaw led her onto a dangerous area where one could be easily cornered. A small gust of wind blowing up against her back reminded her of the drop behind her. There was nowhere to go but down. But were his intentions to kill her or help her?

"Aren't you foolish?" he muttered. "But you're young."

"You're young, too," she pointed out.

"But I'm far ahead of most cats my age, no?" his tail swung up higher. "And seeing how your sister chose to fight you, perhaps you're a bit behind."

After a dull second, she finally came to realize just what he was getting at. "So, you're trying to tell me you're an enemy."

"More of a guide," he dropped to a murmur, "to Starclan."

His intentions finally clear, Nettlepaw wasted no more time. Rushing upon Lightpaw before she was able to respond, he raked her roughly on the flank, causing her to stagger. The cliff seemed to swing up on her as she swayed, but she threw her weight back and rammed into the traitorous cat. With a hiss, he jumped back. Only an instant later, he flew back at her as quickly as Moonstar, headbutting her so hard her paws let out under her. But instead of hitting the cruel rock, she felt air rush past her, the cliff passing by her.

She flipped wildly in the air, her stomach almost letting up. Unable to see anything, Lightpaw threw her front paws out dazedly, and was shocked when they connected with the ground almost immediately. There was a horrible, sharp sensation in one of her paws as all her force was placed upon her fragile bones. Screeching in pain, Lightpaw stumbled further, her momentum carrying her one turn more, twisting her paw even further until she finally fell onto her back, her bottom half submerging in shallow water.

Pain festered throughout her entire body. Her vision swam until she closed her eyes, nausea growing in her throat. Nettlepaw... Though her senses whirled, she remembered sluggishly the cat watching her from the overhanging cliff. She loosened her body like a possum, hoping he would leave her. However, she was only able to sit silent for a moment before pain shot through her, and she yelped. However, if Nettlepaw did more, she did not know.

"Lightpaw..." something called to her.

All around her was green forest. However, it all seemed too bright and colorful, stinging her eyes with intensity. At first, there was not a single scent in the air, but she caught something horribly familiar.

"Lilypath?" Rather than feeling overjoyed, she was highly unnerved by it. Although painfully, she had come to terms with her aunt's death. Scenting her again felt completely awry.

"Lightpaw..." Lilypath called again.

"Be quiet..." she suddenly felt afraid. How could Lilypath be back? Was she... dead? It's obvious! She realized in horror. I was injured and it killed me! This is Starclan!

She turned circled, looking for an escape route, as though she could return to her body somehow, but the acute sights of the forest held her in both awe and pain. It was all so clear, yet so... tormentingly bright.

"Lightpaw..." she shuddered as the voice called again, "your paws..."

A ceaseless, torturing pain prompted her from sleep. The air swam with the pungent odor of herbs. Some were playful aromas, scented for less than a heartbeat before disappearing, leaving you hunting them again, while others were bouquets of bitter medicines. A single word pierced the silence: "Permanently."

This brought the young cat straight to her senses. She hastily opened her eyes, drawing in the sights around her: a thick layer of pine branches intertwined above her, walls marked by delicate-looking bushes and even some sizable rocks, and a bright light shining in from the entrance to the den. Rolling her head back, Lightpaw spotted the thin grey figure of Streampaw. While her eyes seemed to nearly resemble Blizzardpaw's milky, yet bright blue, her figure was clearly reminiscent of Silverfur. Streampaw was Silverfur's sister, but how come one looked austere and wise while the other innocent and kind? Another jolt of pain whipped the thought from her mind.

"Stop wiggling, Lightpaw," Streampaw glared at her, although her eyes seemed incapable of bearing the serious tone of her sister's.

"How's your paw?" From a corner of the room came Orange-ear's voice.

My paw... The source of her pain was primarily her right paw, which seemed to thud abnormally. She glanced down at it. The pads were bloodied, but other than that it appeared normal. "It hurts a lot."

Orange-ear padded over her. "I don't know what silly stunt you were pulling to injure it this badly, but-"

"Lightpaw!" She saw her father bounding inside, a wild look on his face. As he neared her, he slowed down and cautiously approached. "How are you feeling?"

The ginger apprentice contemplated the question a moment, deciding whether or not to tell the truth. "It's not too bad."

His face turned gravely serious. "No daughter of mine should sneak off and seriously injure herself."

Her thoughts swam in pain and fatigue, but she began to piece together something. I didn't hurt myself. I fell off a cliff... but I was knocked off... by Nettlepaw. As she recalled his betrayal, she felt anger boil again. Falling for his trick is just as embarrassing as injuring myself, but everyone needs to know about this.

"I didn't fall off," she muttered weakly. Still, the two cats stared at her accusingly.

However, she didn't want to explain just yet. She feigned full exhaustion (not to say she wasn't tired) so they would leave. She wanted to tell Blizzardpaw first. She waited until darkness reigned again. But her sister didn't show up.


	10. Proclamation

Sunlight poured into the Apprentices' Den, hitting Blizzardpaw's void face. As she awoke, no emotions but insecurity and uncertainty were present in the apprentice's expression. Blizzardpaw slowly stood and exited the den, blinking at the sky's harsh light. There was not a cloud in the sky, no imperfections to the day. A gentle breeze caressed her fur, causing trees to sway and birds to hum.

But perfect weather didn't affect Blizzardpaw as it did other cats.

Fallstar paced past his daughter without so much as a nod, hurrying towards the Medicine Cat Den. As Blizzardpaw watched him enter, she caught the leader's concerned expression. An impulse of anger hit the she-cat; immediately after, a wave of trepidation fell. Her own father didn't even bother to ask about her welfare. Did he not care?

The she-cat sighed heavily and trudged towards the camp entrance, awaiting no one in particular. Blizzardpaw's mind began to wander as she waited. Snips and flashes of anger and inquiry hit her repeatedly, driving her close to the point of screaming her lungs out in frustration.

I understand Lightpaw is injured and all but...Shouldn't concern be equally carried throughout his kits?

Blizzardpaw shook her head furiously before muttering, "Like he cares. It's all about Lightpaw."

Out of nowhere, Milkclaw appeared and zoomed past Blizzardpaw, snapping the apprentice out of her angered daze. The guard, as expected, was diving for the Medicine Cat Den. A yowl of dismay and concern emitted from the den.

Blizzardpaw's head sank as she contemplated her options. I should go see Lightpaw, but she'll probably come up with some sort of insult. 'It's your fault I'm stuck here!' or something...Somehow. If I don't see her, Milkclaw and Fallstar will interrogate or punish me. Either way, I'm facing some sort of emotional blow.

After considering her choices for several minutes, she snapped. A short yell of pent-up frustration escaped her mouth. Blizzardpaw ignored the startled expressions of nearby cats and trudged towards the resting place of her sibling, accusations and questions hot on her tongue. She brushed past the bramble walls of the den, staring at Fallstar and Milkclaw. Lightpaw lifted her head and looked at Blizzardpaw; the latter was surprised to spot elation in the ginger's eyes.

Shaking her head quickly, Blizzardpaw met her parents' gazes. "I'd...like to speak to you. In private." Another thought occurred, one she was not ashamed of: Let's see if they even consider my proposal.

Milkclaw glanced at Fallstar, her eyes revealing her hesitancy. After a brief moment of communication, the guard looked at Blizzardpaw. Hope fluttered in the apprentice's chest; answers may finally be told!

"Your father is...unable to speak to you. He has other duties and…Let's leave it at that. But on the flip side, I can talk to you," Milkclaw responded. Her words were carefully picked, as if she were traversing through a mud-laden field.

Blizzardpaw nodded briskly, the hope within her making her heart pound. "C-Can we go outside of camp?"

Milkclaw nodded; if she was surprised, she hid it well. "Of course."

The apprentice led her mother to the camp's exit, elation present for the first time in moons. Answers. Answers! A relief to her maddening questions!

Blizzardpaw halted as they neared the territory's middle, trees present on all sides. The apprentice chose a shady spot to settle, doing so just in case their conversation ran into dusk. Milkclaw did likewise and stared at her daughter expectantly.

"So um...I...wish to know some things. Clarification, to be exact," Blizzardpaw began, feeling more sure of herself as she proceeded.

"Like what?"

"Like what Ashface said...Is it true?"

Milkclaw jumped slightly—ever so slightly—but Blizzardpaw was able to notice the miniscule movement. The guard swiftly recovered and murmured, "We already told you. He got the two mixed up."

"You jumped just now. And when Fallstar answered, his voice was unsteady and full of hesitancy." Not for the first time, suspicion hit Blizzardpaw like a comet, boosting her confidence tenfold.

"He...uh…," Milkclaw stammered. Her struggling was so obvious, it gave the apprentice a pang of guilt.

But then the runt's guilt molded into anger, pulsating throughout her body. Blizzardpaw's desire to be answered—to be able to know—smoldered and crackled beneath her fur, begging for an escape route. "Tell me the truth."

"W-Well, you see, Ashface wasn't exactly lying, but he wasn't being honest either-"

Milkclaw's constant stammering and evasion fueled Blizzardpaw's rage, allowing the flames to rise to the surface. "It's a simple yes or no question! When will you all quit avoiding my inquiries! It's infuriating! Whenever I ask for an answer to something like this, I'm either turned away or disappointed. No clear answer is ever given; your constant secrecy drives me insane!"

The apprentice had risen to a stand, her fur raised and tail twitching. Her usually placate eyes burned with agitation, digging into Milkclaw's shocked expression with every ounce of being possible. "It's infuriating," Blizzardpaw repeated, her voice wavering with newfound anger.

A shaky exhale escaped Milkclaw's lips. Her eyes were full of sadness and hesitancy, yet Blizzardpaw's glare did not waver. She wanted answers. She wanted good answers that made sense. The guard inhaled deeply before allowing her eyes to meet Blizzardpaw's. The own pounding of her heart was all that the apprentice was able to hear, nothing else cutting the eerie silence that had fallen.

At last, Milkclaw parted her jaws to speak. "Ashface wasn't lying. Fallstar...Fallstar and I had three kits, and two died."

"Wh-Who was...the last kit?" Blizzardpaw managed to whisper, her heart feeling as if it might burst out of her chest.

"Lightpaw was," the she-cat murmured, bowing her head in an attempt to hide her face.

Blizzardpaw felt as if a rock had fallen on top of her. Her eyes widened at the news' extremity, and her breath caught in her throat. A small exhale escaped the apprentice's mouth as she stumbled and sat, her legs quivering.

She could barely murmur, "Then...How did I come into the picture?"

Milkclaw stopped herself, but she then continued with her onpour of information. "We had a kit that looked a lot like you; we named her Songkit. But she died shortly after birth...I was grief-stricken, to put it simply. I wanted to die. Living wasn't an option after watching two lives disappear, just like that. It was horrible and worse than any torture imaginable.

"A few days later, Ashface's kittypet friends gave birth to a kit. I was the first to be told, and a plan immediately began to form. I wanted a replacement for my lost Songkit. I needed it to remain sane. So that night, I broke into the kittypet's...den and kidnapped their kit. I never looked back; I knew if I did I wouldn't be able to take away their new life."

Blizzardpaw swallowed, realization hitting her. "And that kit was me?"

A hesitant nod was all that Milkclaw gave.

Head bowed, the apprentice moped over all that she had heard, emotions spiraling throughout her mind. Anger triumphed all emotions. Agitation at her mother's selfish decision; frustration at not being informed earlier. Fury at how tortured not knowing had made her.

"So you took me away from a happy young family, just to replace your kit? Didn't you think of the lives you ruined doing that? They probably wanted to die the moment you took me away; my...parents probably loved me just as much as you did Songkit!"

"Blizzardpaw…," Milkclaw began, but the apprentice's anger became a torrent of fury, unable to be quenched. Her emotions began to meld, forming a new feeling—hate. Blizzardpaw was unable to contain this newfound emotion; she needed an outlet. Her hate gained a clear course as it settled upon Milkclaw.

Blizzardpaw emitted a yowl and lept onto the guard, claws unsheathed. Without thinking, she slashed and hacked at the defenseless she-cat, yelling any accusations that came to mind. Each blow became more and more violent, her anger growing exponentially. Eventually, every aspect of fury Blizzardpaw had felt in her life exploded, fueling her already-dangerous inferno of emotions. Milkclaw's yowls and pleas for her "daughter" to cease her attack failed, drowned out by the blood pounding in Blizzardpaw's ears.

Yowling one last accusation, the apprentice dove for Milkclaw's throat, her blue eyes alive with the flames of bloodlust and unchecked loathing. She sunk her fangs into the she-cat's neck, preparing for the kill. Blizzardpaw hated this cat; she absolutely hated Milkclaw.

Then a thought crossed the apprentice's mind. It caused her to cease her attack on Milkclaw, leaving her mind empty and silent. Once again, the thought presented itself, realization finally appearing alongside it.

This won't make me feel better.

Blizzardpaw slid away from the she-cat, shivering as she watched Milkclaw's still form. The anger that the apprentice had not but a moment ago had disappeared, leaving a large void surrounded by nothing but sorrow. She ignored the blood coating her own paws and chest, horrified at what she had heard and committed. As Milkclaw began to stand, Blizzardpaw yelped and retreated into the forest, barreling past underbrush and trees, ignoring the branches that hung in her way.

The she-cat tripped over an outlying tree root; she didn't attempt to stand, having lost all motivation. Finally, after several moments of emotional beatings and reprimands, Blizzardpaw sat up, wails of sadness boiling within her throat. She glanced at a nearby tree and trudged towards it, whimpering slightly. Unsheathing her claws, Blizzardpaw stared at the plant's trunk, then swiping meekly at it. Barely a mark was left.

Sadness then overwhelmed the cat. A yowl of sorrow escaped her lips, uncontrolled and true. Blizzardpaw crouched at the tree's base and wailed like a helpless kit; she didn't care if a member of Moonclan came and made fun of her at this point. The apprentice couldn't hold it in, and attempting to would result in another outburst.

The sun began to fall, yet Blizzardpaw continued her meltdown, not even trying to sever her yells off. She hated herself for attacking Milkclaw. A sudden urge of loathing may have been justified, but using the guard as an outlet seemed wrong. Doing so seemed a crime in every aspect, and Blizzardpaw believed this more and more as the day slipped by.

A light, soothing object slid along Blizzardpaw's back. The motion calmed her slightly, allowing her wails to soften. Rainpaw's face appeared next to the she-cat's, his amber eyes full of concern. He simply sat next to Blizzardpaw, methodically stroking her back in an attempt to alleviate the apprentice's sadness.

After what seemed like an eternity, the wails ceased. Blizzardpaw breathed shakily, unsure if she was able to even stand without shutting down. The nearby tom glanced at her, seeming hesitant, before speaking.

"I got my warrior ceremony today...Fallstar gave me the name of 'Raincloud'," he murmured. Blizzardpaw released a small moan, disappointment and sorrow crashing into her side once again.

"I m-missed it..."

Raincloud jumped and began nudging the she-cat to her feet. His expression acted as if the warrior had been hit in the chest, but a moment later it was gone. The tom smiled at Blizzardpaw, hoping to lighten the mood.

"When I saw you weren't there, I knew something was wrong...I searched the forest for you. Eventually, I found you and Milkclaw, but...You seemed scared to death; Milkclaw was on the ground, bleeding and battered. I almost dove into the fray, but then you ran off. I got Milkclaw back to camp; it took me forever to find you again because of that."

Raincloud turned his head towards Blizzardpaw, staring into her eyes. "I wouldn't mind being told what happened, but if you'd feel better not telling me, I'm fine with that. I just hope you're uh...okay."

Blizzardpaw nodded, shocked yet touched at the warrior's words. "I...I feel a bit better now."

Raincloud gave a golden smile and began padding towards camp, Blizzardpaw trudging by his side, lagging slightly. As she glanced at the warrior, she genuinely smiled, glad to be walking next to Raincloud.

He probably left right after his ceremony...I haven't heard of a cat caring that much about another to do that. But I'm glad he did…

Blizzardpaw abandoned the last fragment of her thought, wishing to cherish the joy of knowing Raincloud.


	11. Present

The ginger cat heaved a great sigh as she finally stood tall again. For an hour she had slowly taught herself to cease pressure on her injured paw until she could stand and hobble on her three other feet, for even the barest touch to her paw struck horrendous shocks of pain through her. The work had been tedious and very painful, but her results satisfied her. I'm not a cripple... she declared, not allowing her doubts to falter her ambitions.

She looked at the grey shape of her mother slowly rise and fall at her side. Patience short as ever, she limped over slowly- expending a ridiculous amount of energy doing so- and sat at her mother's side. "Milkclaw... M-mom?"

After a few more calls, her mother finally stirred, slowly sitting herself up onto her own white paws, jaws agape in a yawn, then clamped in a shocked grimace. "Lightpaw..."

"Mom!" Lightpaw leaned forward to eagerly brush against her mother, her scent breaking down the apprentice's pride and determination until she felt weak as a kit again. "What happened to you?"

For a long moment, the guard went stiff as bark, staring at her daughter blankly. Then, she simply uttered, "Blizzardpaw."

"What?" Lightpaw persisted angrily.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, sinking down onto her belly, her eyes infused with grief. "I guess things will be easier if I explain to you. Plus, you deserve to know."

Though her voice trembled, Milkclaw told Lightpaw the same story she had told Blizzardpaw, and then how Blizzardpaw had attacked her. As she spoke, Lightpaw slowly sunk to the floor as well, listening intensely, and for once never interrupting. Once Milkclaw finished, there was a long silence between the two of them before Lightpaw again spoke.

"If that's so, then... what's going to happen to her now?"

Milkclaw jumped, then again settled. "I'm sure she won't be punished too harshly. I'll make sure she isn't."

At first, Lightpaw was enraged at her sister for attacking her mother. But as she lay quietly in the den, curled up beside the injured grey cat, she came to understand Blizzardpaw's actions. Things raced through her mind, mostly her regrets, and began to torment her. Even her original ignorance of her condition broke down into fear and bitter defeat. However, her ambition soon radiated powerfully, plowing through each feeling piece by piece. Then, a single demand brought put her on her feet.

"Where do you think you're going, Lightpaw?" her mother asked.

"I have to tell the clan," she explained quickly. "They deserve to know."

She bounded out as fast as she could on three feet, earning many looks of concern from her clan. In particular, Fallstar immediately dashed over, looking livid. "What are you doing, Lightpaw?"

"Help me up the ledge," she commanded, causing even more vexation from her father. However she persisted. "Help me up!"

"Why? And how are you going to get down?" he spat.

"I don't know how I'll get down, but this is really important. Please trust me," she uttered, giving him a sweet face of hope. After a long sigh, he agreed, pushing her up when she need until she was elevated above all of her clan.

With raw confidence as well as a limp in her gait, she padded to the jutting edge where all her ancestors stood to speak for their clan. Immediately, cats turned, some even beginning to gather, but were shocked when the ginger fur was not that of Fallstar. Most turned away with annoyed expressions after they saw her. Displeasure swelling in her chest, Lightpaw let out a long wail to gain their attention.

"Lightpaw!" Fallstar hissed with strong accent. "Get down now! If you have something to tell the clan, tell me first, and I can announce it!"

"There's no time!" her voice rose in emotion. "And I want to tell them myself."

Fallstar stopped, seeming surprised by the intense sentiment in her voice. After a few heartbeats, he muttered, "As you wish."

With his approval, Lightpaw turned back to the jumbled crowd, then rose her voice so the cats could hear. "I have something to say, so gather!" She turned to her father, knowing they wouldn't budge without his approval. He give a brisk nod.

With hesitance, the cats gathered below her into a mass of bodies. Lightpaw lost little nerve even with all the eyes on her, sure that what she was keeping under her tongue was important. She saw Mudfoot, Raggedtail, and Orange-ear... and Nettlepaw. Of course, the clan had no clue of his betrayal. But where was Blizzardpaw? For a few heartbeats she searched, the crowd silent as they watched her curiously. Finally she spotted her sister, somewhat hidden in the crowd, at Raincloud's side.

So, she began speaking, her words growing in momentum as she went:

"I want to apologize for... not telling you all this before. I was wrong to hide it. I was cowardly, and, um, well... The injury on my paw was not a careless fall of any kind, as you may have been told," she glanced at Nettlepaw, whose eyes filled with fear at her words, "but the act of a fellow clanamate."

The cats broke into loud meows of protest, fear, and confusion. "I was fooled as well, of course, but I will go to the grave with this: the cat who knocked me off the cliff was Nettlepaw." Immediately, the cats around Nettlepaw jumped in surprise, and it was clear that she had convinced much of the clan. Nettlepaw was a peculiar cat, after all.

With a long, low growl, Nettlepaw gained the attention of the crowd. Some cats next to him backed away. "How dare you accuse me! You'd be dead if I hadn't found you laying at the shore."

Bristletail spoke up next. "You seemed a bit shocked when I said she was alive."

Following her brother's words, Raggedtail joined in. "You've been really nervous since she came back to camp."

"Like he was scared of Lightpaw telling someone!" Orange-ear meowed.

Nettlepaw lowered his ears at the hot accusations. "I thought my own clan might trust me..."

One cat came to stand beside the singled-out apprentice: Snowheart. In his low voice he growled, "If the whole of the clan wishes to oppose him, I shall oppose you all... at his side."

"Snowheart, at least you know I'm innocent, unlike-"

"Innocent? No," Snowheart gave him a long stare before looking back to the crowd. "With minimal help from me, this apprentice has murdered one of your cats and crippled another. And he nearly got away with it all! What a pathetic clan."

It took a moment, but Silverfur quickly deduced, "You killed Lilypath!"

Nettlepaw stood shocked at Snowheart, who spoke for him. "We didn't kill her. But we certainly convinced Cometclan to."

The clan began to unite against the cat, claws unsheathing and threats raising. With only the touch of a tail for communication, the two traitors turned and darted from the clearing. Immediately a torrent of the clan sped after them, seeming to be led by Raincloud. The remaining cats waited, listening, until the sound of pounding feet faded before diving into conversation.

Blizzardpaw sat in the clearing, looking after the departed cats dazedly. Lightpaw stared at her sister, waiting for the grey cat to notice her, but she seemed to be in a dream. Determined, Lightpaw picked her way carefully down the cliffside, slipping multiple times. Once she reached level ground again, she rushed over to her sister. "Blizzardpaw."

The smaller cat looked up, her eyes empty. Lightpaw explained, "Milkclaw told me everything." There was no indication that her sister had heard. "And I'm sorry for not believing you and Raincloud. I was wrong." Still, her sister stayed quiet, though she lowered her head a bit as though hiding an expression. "And, Blizzardpaw? You're still my sister, you know. Even if we're not bound by blood, we're still bound by heart, right?"

There was no reaction. Out of words, Lightpaw turned away from her sister and padded over to her father, unsure of where else to go. I wouldn't blame her if she hated me. the she-cat thought painfully. Dismayed despite her success in persuading her clan, she went to lay in her nest.

After a short and light sleep, Lightpaw awoke to the sound of loud conversation. Sleepily she rose, the evening light blinding her for a moment, and padded outside to see Raincloud and the other chasers returned. By their unsatisfied expressions, it was clear what had become of their attempts. Before she could approach the cats, however, a familiar yowl rang through the clearing.

"Cats of the Moon! Gather beneath the ledge! There is more important news to discuss."

Like thirsty animals, the cats took places in the clearing, eagerly glaring at their leader. As Lightpaw took her place near Blizzardpaw, she had a feeling what her father was about to tell the clan. He gazed at them patiently, a hint of worry most cats would miss apparent in his gesture. Finally, he rose up to full height to address the expectant crowd.

"Moonclan! It is about time I explain another odd event that recently occurred. You all know Milkclaw was attacked, and a few of you may know who did it. Don't jump to any conclusions yet," he glowered at the crowd until they understood the seriousness of his words. "The cat who attacked Milkclaw was Blizzardpaw."

Once again, the cats were surprised, but they didn't back away from the apprentice, bound by their leader's words. "However, while her actions were not very noble, they weren't traitorous either. As quite a few of you may know as well, Blizzardpaw is not my kin by blood. She was kitnapped from a kittypet's litter and raised as a clan cat." He again narrowed his eyes at the crowd, his expression powerful. "She is one of us, and it is none of anyone's business except mine to punish her." After a thoughtful moment, he added, "You are dismissed."

Once Fallstar stepped off the ledge, the cats broke into chatter again. Nearby, Lightpaw heard Sevenwind asked, "What do you think of that?"

"I think she's a traitor as well," Cavepoppy muttered.

Sparked furious by the simple words, Lightpaw turned around and meowed a bit loudly, "Don't act as though you can interpret her actions better than Fallstar! And, as her sister, I think she only did what was natural."

Cavepoppy stared at her for a moment before growling, "Outspoken apprentice. Just because you're the leader's daughter doesn't make you special."

Lightpaw, after a short glare, turned and left the crowd swiftly. I hope you heard that, Blizzardpaw. She made her way to retire for the night, her tail drooping as her pride and ambition finally wore away.

"Lightpaw? You feeling better?" Streampaw asked as she bounded over.

"Yeah, I am," she told the cat, meeting her light-blue eyes.

"That's good, and not to be depressing, but... do you think you can still be a warrior?"

Though she was exhausted of her original determination, she managed just enough to say, "No matter what, I'm not letting this stop me from helping my clan."

Streampaw nodded. "Good. I like that."

Lightpaw bade the cat good night, collapsing atop her nest in the apprentice den. Her mind wandered restlessly, keeping her up longer than she wished. Just before she drifted off, she found herself oddly pleased, despite how despairing her situation was. And she fell asleep before she could remind herself of those terrible things.


	12. Pinnacle

The sky had a pale light to it, accented by the lazy clouds that lay across its width. Sunlight scarcely pierced the ocean of white masses. Heat only scoured the land's surface, leaving the day cold and miserable. Any cats that were left in camp were shivering and hiding in various dens, unwilling to enter leaf-bare's environment.

Blizzardpaw stood outside the Apprentices' Den with shivering legs and frost-tipped fur. Her head was bowed, hiding her sorrowful eyes and pained expression. A few of her clanmates—Cavepoppy, especially—had marked her a traitor, just like Nettlepaw. The verdict of those few had bogged Blizzardpaw down, taking quite a toll on her emotional being.

As if Milkclaw's revelations weren't enough; they just had to...The apprentice trailed off, a wail close to escaping. She lifted her head as the pitter-patter of pawsteps reached her ears. Silverfur approached the she-cat with a cold fire in her eyes. Blizzardpaw's heart dropped with each pawstep of the warrior.

The silver warrior halted and stared at her apprentice. "Time for training. Come on, we have much to do to meet your punishment's requirements."

Blizzardpaw simply nodded, too enveloped in despair to properly respond. The two cats exited camp and headed towards a break in the dense forest. Soft grass and dirt engrossed the area, surrounded by the usual vegetation of Moonclan's territory. It was a perfect spot to sharpen skills and train future warriors.

Silverfur bounded towards a corner of the arena, immediately situating herself into a battle stance. Her apprentice followed suit, but she held less motivation, knowing that the day would be long and arduous. The day's freezing temperatures caused Blizzardpaw to shiver noticeably, and it interfered with her ability to move.

"You have to learn how to fight in conditions like this," Silverfur mewed, seeming to read the apprentice's body language. "And as a side note, I'm glad you were assigned extreme training and work rather than no food. Your lack of stamina makes this a great lesson to never attack your clanmates again."

Blizzardpaw flinched at her mentor's last remark. Even Silverfur was bashing her? A wave of sadness flowed over the she, weakening her stance. Silverfur continued with her statement. "Today we will be doing nothing but mock battles. Claws sheathed, fair fight."

With no time to prepare herself, Blizzardpaw was leaped upon by the warrior, pinned to the ground. She retaliated with a swift blow to Silverfur's stomach, pushing the she-cat off. The latter hissed and shied away with a flame in her eyes. Blizzardpaw's breath had already begun to catch in her throat, fumes of cooling air escaping her mouth.

Silverfur smirked. "You're already getting tired."  
The apprentice growled and bounded forward, feinting a swipe to Silverfur's shoulder. As the warrior prepared to dodge the trick, Blizzardpaw switched movements and dove towards her opponent's legs, roughly smacking Silverfur's joints. The runt skidded out of the falling she-cat's way,

her heart beat pulsating throughout her entire body.

Blizzardpaw ended the first battle by pinning the warrior, struggling for a moment due to the massive size difference between she and Silverfur. Oxygen struggled to enter her lungs, leaving Blizzardpaw panting heavily. Silverfur, on the other hand, showed no signs of physical strain.

The former relented and slipped off of her mentor, taking a moment to catch her breath. Silverfur groaned and shook her head.

"Already gasping for breath? I'm surprised you beat Milkclaw so badly with such horrible stamina."

A small moan escaped Blizzardpaw's lips, full of regret, as was her voice. "Why can't everyone stop reminding me of that? I'm really sorry..."

"Sorries don't heal an injured warrior," Silverfur growled and repositioned herself, signaling that a second battle was about to begin. The runt exhaled deeply and did the same, grimacing as a bitter cold gust swept over the training hollow. At Blizzardpaw's moment of obliviousness, Silverfur darted forward and initiated her attack.

Due to her inattentiveness, Blizzardpaw was caught off guard. She aimed a lazy swipe at the oncoming she-cat, batting her face weakly. The warrior grinned at her apprentice's puny strength and swat her relentlessly, leaving Blizzardpaw battered and bruised. As a result, Silverfur quickly won with mind-boggling results.

A quick, pained noise emitted from the apprentice as she stood, her sore and strained muscles protesting furiously. White puffs of air exited her mouth quickly as Blizzardpaw panted. The day was only beginning, yet she was already overcome by exhaustion.

By sunfall, Blizzardpaw had gained a plethora of bruises and even a number of scratches. Her breath came in ragged gasps, her lungs demanding for more oxygen than she could ever obtain. Silverfur was only lightly breathing; no blows had left a noticeable mark.

The apprentice, still in the midst of training, meekly swiped at Silverfur, missing by a pitifully long distance. Her mentor didn't even bother to dodge nor counter, knowing full well that Blizzardpaw was on the verge of collapsing. Blizzardpaw swiped one last time with as much force as she could muster. Silverfur scooted away a mouse-length and let momentum carry the runt. Blizzardpaw fell with a groan, her entire body sore and demanding rest. Her chest rose and fell drastically with each pained breath as she lay there, unable and unwilling to stand.

Silverfur watched with disappointment. "Get up."

Uttering a weak sound of agony, Blizzardpaw slowly stood, nearly falling over as she did. The warrior slammed a paw against the runt's jaw, causing her to fall. Blizzardpaw didn't even bother to rise again, despite her mentor's demands.

A sound of utter disdain emitted from Silverfur. "You only won twice. What do you have to say about that?"

Blizzardpaw parted her jaws to speak, but in her winded state, only a reedy moan was heard. Silverfur sighed and padded towards camp, leaving the apprentice laying in the dirt. After many stretched moments, Blizzardpaw rose, nearly yelling at her battered state. She observed the area dully, attempting to locate the camp's general direction.

"Are you okay?"

The apprentice turned around with stiff movements, recognizing the voice immediately. Raincloud was watching her with glistening eyes, obviously concerned. Blizzardpaw meekly shrugged and trudged over, wincing with each step.

"I'm fine, I guess," she managed to murmur.

Raincloud exhaled and flicked his tail. "Fallstar's announcing the Gathering participants."

Oh. Gathering. I bet I'm not going.

"Oh...Okay."

The two headed towards Moonclan's camp, keeping a slow pace due to Blizzardpaw's exhausted and sore muscles. As they entered, an uproar of noise hit their ears, all emanating from the same area. The entire clan was gathered underneath the meeting rock, Fallstar atop of it. Blizzardpaw was able to spot the ginger pelt of Lightpaw amidst the crowd.

She trudged towards the group, ignoring glances from her clanmates. Cavepoppy growled at her as she passed, leaving Blizzardpaw in a state of anguish once again. Raincloud settled near the crowd's edge; the she-cat followed, wishing to be close to possibly the only friend she had.

"...Raincloud, Sevenwind, and...Blizzardpaw," Fallstar finished. A large hint of hesitancy was present as he announced the apprentice's name.

"Why is she coming...," a nearby cat muttered, just loud enough for Blizzardpaw to hear.

"She attacked your mate, didn't she? Why would you let her come?" another growled.

A whimper crawled out of Blizzardpaw's throat. She bowed her head and attempted to tune out the others' complaints, but she barely succeeded in doing so. Eventually the clan meeting ended, leaving the cats to await the Gathering's departure. Most dived right into their dens in order to escape the low temperatures, while others went ahead and stood at the clan's exit.

Raincloud began padding towards the latter group, glancing at Blizzardpaw curiously. "Are you going to go ahead and wait?"

"I guess."

"...Okay, then." The two trudged towards the crowd, staying near its edge. Blizzardpaw shied away from most cats, wishing not to ignite conflict. They eventually settled and hunched their shoulders, bracing themselves for the night's icy winds.

As the moon began to rise, the Gathering group raced off, each cat grumbling about the cold. Blizzardpaw trudged through the undergrowth, lagging behind most of the group as exhaustion began shutting down her mind. Each step sent protests throughout her body, and the frosty night did nothing to assist her muscles.

This punishment...is gruesome, she decided, nearly tripping over her own paws, not for the first time that hour. After what seemed like hours, the Moonclanners arrived at the stream that seperated them and Sunclan. One by one they crossed, yelping at the freezing water. Raincloud crossed with a low growl, followed by Blizzardpaw. Her paws immediately went numb, and her sore muscles seemed to scream. The apprentice swallowed down a yell and hurried across, shivering more violently than before once she reached the other side.

Sunclan, as usual, had already arrived, though they seemed to have just sat down. Fallstar clambered onto the leaders' branch, giving an unforgiving glance to Stonestar. The latter barely responded before he yowled, gaining every cat's attention.

Raincloud jumped and whispered, "Already? We just got here..."

"Is something wrong? Do they need to hurry?" Blizzardpaw murmured, more to herself than anyone else.

Stonestar stared at the group assembled before him and began speaking. "Cats of the Clans! As all of you should know, there is a group of loners calling themselves Cometclan. Moonclan, according to Fallstar, is against this mass. However, Sunclan is for their existence as a true clan-"

"What!" Silverfur yelled, quickly rising with a snarl. "That's absurd! They're murderers!"

Almost every member of Moonclan announced as such and stood, glaring at Stonestar. Fallstar turned to stare at the leader, flicking his tail in agitation.

"How could you even consider living alongside those ruffians? They murdered a warrior of Moonclan!" he exclaimed, a growl shortly following.

Stonestar seemed unaffected by the ginger tom's outburst. "We Sunclanners believe every cat should have a chance at being a member of a clan. Why shouldn't they have that opportunity as well?"

Snarls and yowls exploded throughout the clearing; members of Moonclan began unsheathing their claws. Even Sunclanners began rising and preparing for battle. Fallstar slowly stood and seemed to glow with deadly anger, his regal eyes boring into the grey tom's. Blizzardpaw tenaciously stood and watched, as tense as her sore body could possibly be.

"Cometclan is nothing but a group of murderers, "Fallstar spat, his claws now unsheathing.

Stonestar slowly stood, his patience breaking. "My clan believes they should be friends, not enemies. If you have a problem, state it in a more peaceful manner."

"Not when it comes to these horrible cats!" the Moonclan leader yowled, swiping a paw across Stonestar's muzzle.

At that single motion, chaos erupted across the Gathering. Members of Sunclan whirled and rammed into the closest Moonclanners they could find. Yowls were sounded, and blood was spilled. Birdclaw cleared a line of sight through the crowd and set her eyes upon Blizzardpaw, flames of anger seeming to dance in her irises.

The deputy yowled and charged at Blizzardpaw. She attempted to move, but her sore, frozen muscles were unresponsive, too overworked to do much more than support Blizzardpaw's body. As Birdclaw slammed into the she-cat, the deputy dug her claws into her enemy's rib cage. A yowl escaped the apprentice's throat, pain exploding in her chest. Blizzardpaw writhed and struck Birdclaw just below the neck, leaving a small but deep gash. The latter yelled and leaped onto the runt, sinking her fangs into the cat's spine. She then began slicing open Blizzardpaw's back, blood oozing out of the scratches.

The she-cat did nothing to stop Birdclaw's attack, realizing it was futile to struggle. After moments of relentless cutting, the deputy slipped off and grabbed Blizzardpaw's scruff, hurling her against the ground with a mighty yowl. Pain exploded across the she-cat's back, a scream soon following. Birdclaw then forced her to her paws; Blizzardpaw swayed and stumbled, yet she didn't counter.

"Come on and fight, mouse-brain! Or do you want to die?" Birdclaw snarled.

What do I care? No one wants me here, anyways. Birdclaw will be doing Moonclan a favor.

The deputy slashed open Blizzardpaw's chest, causing her to stumble back a handful of mouse-lengths. Birdclaw followed with a harsh tackle that drove the apprentice to the ground, wheezing and unable to breathe. A pressing weight fell upon Blizzardpaw's neck and stomach; she was being pinned by the Sunclanner.

"What a pathetic cat. It's like you can't fight or something," Birdclaw murmured. Blizzardpaw groaned as the pressure on her neck increased. Claws began to dig into her throat, drawing blood. Yet she did not counter.

Familiar yells drew Blizzardpaw's attention. She strained her eyes to watch the source, and once she recognized the grey pelt and amber eyes of the tom, realization hit her.

Right... Raincloud would care if I were to die. That was stupid, forgetting him just like that...

With renewed strength, Blizzardpaw kicked Birdclaw in the stomach, winding the deputy. She pushed the older cat off and rose to her paws, grimacing as the full effect of her wounds kicked in. The apprentice stared at Birdclaw, who was glaring right back. Yowling, the deputy burst forward, preparing to ram her enemy. Blizzardpaw skidded out of her pathway and swiped at Birdclaw's side as she passed. The deputy fell a second later, then stood with anger in her eyes.

Skidding out of the way, Blizzardpaw dove at the she-cat's legs, digging her fangs into her foreleg. Birdclaw fell with a yowl, blood oozing out of her new wound. Before she could stand again, Blizzardpaw raced off, having heard yet another familiar yowl.

The apprentice arrived at the scene of Stonestar and Fallstar battling. Each was covered with gore, pantiing heavily. Stonestar yelled and dived at his enemy, digging his fangs into the ginger tom's shoulder. Releasing a growl, Fallstar shook him off and slammed a paw down unto the tom's head, knocking him into the dirt.

Blizzardpaw tore her eyes away and skidded towards Dirttail, who seemed to smile in his ring of bloodshed and agony. He grinned and swiped at the apprentice, who in turn crouched and rammed into the warrior's stomach, leaving him laughing with a wheeze.

"Ooh, I like this one," Dirttail grinned. He burst forward and slammed into Blizzardpaw, latching onto her side like a parasite. She struggled violently, but Dirttail had his claws set deep into her skin, which burned and froze at the same time. Eventually his claws could go no deeper, so he twisted them around, causing Blizzardpaw to yowl and collapse.

Dirttail laughed with glee and detached himself, then sinking his claws into her chest. The warrior jerked and twisted his instruments of pain to and fro, leaving Blizzardpaw in great agony. She swiped open his cheek and attempted to crawl away, but the tom leaped onto her back, smiling creepily.

"Just let me cut open your insides, please...," he whispered, grinning like a madman. Dirttail chuckled and dug his claws into her rib cage, though he twisted around, attempting to cut deeply and effectively. Pain flooded over the area like a torrent would a flatland, and her entire body seemed to throb along with each twist of Dirttail's claws. With a violent jerk of the warrior's claws, Blizzardpaw yowled, all of the agony she felt at that moment infused with it.

"Almost theeeere! Just keep screaming until I reach your heart." Dirttail smiled sadistically and continued twisting, blood spraying onto his paw. Once again, Blizzardpaw yelled out and attempted to escape, only able to crawl. She struggled for what seemed an eternity, pain exploding across her body.

Dirttail twisted more violently than he ever had before. "I can almost feel your insides now!"

Blizzardpaw screamed and writhed meekly. The ginger pelt of Fallstar was in her sights now, but it felt like he was a moon away. Another violent spasm of agony hit Blizzardpaw, causing her to yell her throat raw.

Fallstar took one second to glance at the apprentice. As he realized what was occurring, his eyes widened. "Blizzardpaw-"

The great leader was cut off as Stonestar sliced open his neck. Blood spewed out of the wound like a fountain as he fell, life escaping his green eyes. Every cat that was in the vicinity of the two leaders ceased battling and watched, surprise and horror evident on each face. Even Dirttail slipped off of Blizzardpaw and watched, still smiling slightly.

Fallstar finally hit the ground, twitching as his life ebbed away. Blizzardpaw stared at the leader with wide eyes, the white puffs of air accumulating before her mouth the only sign that she was breathing.

Stonestar gravely observed the cats around him. "This battle is won! Sunclan, disperse!"

Sunclanners all around emitted yowls of glee as they padded towards the Gathering's exit, completely ignoring the stunned Moonclan cats. Blizzardpaw stood, but then fell, Dirttail's attack leaving her weak. Cats gathered around Fallstar and waited, hoping that he still had lives to use.

After long moments of agony, the tom awoke with a gasp, sitting up woozily. Blizzardpaw ignored her injuries and rose, stumbling towards Fallstar.

The leader sighed with a sad smile. "He got two of my lives. It was a very deep wound."

Blizzardpaw swallowed and nodded. Free of adrenaline, her legs began to tremble, and it wasn't caused by the frost-bitten winds that tore at her fur. Raincloud burst out of the group and stood next to Blizzardpaw, staring at her wounds. The latter released a small moan and allowed her legs to collapse. She was caught by a frantic Raincloud, who let Blizzardpaw place all of her weight onto his side.

The she-cat uttered a small thank you before Fallstar turned towards his clan. "Sunclan will not forget this. But for now, we need to head back and treat our wounds."

Every cat agreed and began padding, their pace slow and often interrupted by collapsing cats. Blizzardpaw stumbled along, Raincloud often having to assist her. As Cavepoppy fell, the group stopped and observed him, attempting to help the guard.

Blizzardpaw watched gravely, shivering at how severely battered every cat was. Raincloud nudged her and mewed, "What're you thinking?"

"How much my chest and back hurt," she responded.

The tom smiled half-heartedly and turned back to Cavepoppy. Blizzardpaw glanced at him sadly.

I lied, Raincloud...I was really wondering if Cometclan is worth this much bloodshed and conflict...


	13. Pioneer

Useless.

Lightpaw paced the forest, sitting up every few heartbeats to taste the air.

Crippled.

She stumbled forward as she tripped on a twig, her chin landing in the muddy earth, for she could only balance on her one paw.

You have a lot of years with the elders ahead of you, Lightpaw.

Driven by a burst of adrenaline-fueled rage, the she-cat pounced forward to catch the mouse she'd been ignoring so long. As expected, she missed by a tree-length, nearly hitting the ground again.

Her anger sapping all her sanity, she barely held back a yowl, reducing it to a seething hiss as she stomped forward, continuing her periodic search for the scent of him. He was the one who had crushed everything in her life. And after much reflection, she had been stripped to one goal: revenge. Already she knew just what she would do if she were to encounter that fox-hearted, blood-coated traitor. She was going to claw his eyes out.

Personifying her emotions, Lightpaw mercilessly twisted herself forward to rake a gash in a tree. Since she could only use her one paw, she had to temporarily balance on her hind legs to do so, but she was quickly learning to work around her paw. Still, this didn't mean she could ever be a warrior.

It had been Fire-eye that told her. She suspected her dad had been too disappointed or grievous to tell her himself. If you train well, you don't have to go live with the elders and get yourself a fancy name like Brokenfoot. Of course, there's no way you could go out and fight with that paw, so we'd make you a guard.

A guard. Her mother was a guard, but she thought herself better than that. The one and only daughter of the leader, a guard.

"Are you still looking for him?" she heard Raggedtail ask her. "So am I."

Lightpaw slowly shook her head. "I guess its no use. Who knows how far off him and Snowheart are?"

For a moment Raggedtail was quiet. Lightpaw remembered how she had fought with the older cat over Nettlepaw. Neither of them had wound up particularly right, but Raggedtail had been the one to defend Raincloud... "Sorry," the ginger cat couldn't help but mutter.

Raggedtail shrugged. "I should have told Fallstar about that fight." After a pause, she inquired, "Does your paw still hurt when you stand on it?"

Lightpaw nodded slowly. After another few heartbeats of silence, Raggedtail added, "I know it isn't half as bad, but we're both hindered... physically."

Glancing up at her different eyes, Lightpaw knew what the older cat was referring to: she was half-blind. "Some cats thought I should be a guard, but I showed them that sight isn't important. Now cats think you should go straight to being an elder. You're going to have to show them you can fight. And after what happened at the Gathering, we'll need all the strength we can get."

Lightpaw nearly spoke, but Raggedtail continued. "I suppose a good sense of smell will come in much handy, but what you really need to be learning is how to defend the camp. It doesn't matter how you want it, it will be your job sometime."

Finally, Lightpaw blurted out, "I can't even catch mice anymore! How could I defend the camp?"

Raggedtail's eyes lit up as she glared at Lightpaw. "Let's find out, hm?" She stood and backed up until the two were a few cat-lengths apart. Her white fur lit up like snow when the sun breaks through. "Your move."

What am I supposed to do? Lightpaw gazed at the older cat, looking for any way in Starclan she could possibly hurt her. Then, she took the problem a different way, so her ambition strove her forward. How can I defeat Nettlepaw?

Limberly Lightpaw dashed forth, making her limp look natural. When she was a tail-length from the white cat, she whipped around, swerving on her front paw and swinging her back legs. She powerfully kicked when she felt her hind legs ram into her opponent's face, sending her forward. Though she stumbled, she quickly rebalanced herself and turned around to inspect her damage. Before her, Raggedtail was just recovering herself, cringing. Once she opened her eyes, she shook her head at Lightpaw. "Nobody's getting into camp with a kick like that. I mean, I am a but weary from the Gathering, but I'd thought I could fight a cat with a fresh injury..."

Lightpaw couldn't suppress her pride, for she had surprised herself with the wits and power of her move. Her and Raggedtail began to spar, and though she was quite obviously disadvantaged, she found new limits to what she could do. Since she couldn't latch onto her opponent's back, she held on by the tail (or so she believed. It wasn't as though she could truly test this on a clanmate.) Where she was no longer able to lithely switch her weight from side to side, she now trained to switch her balance from front to back. Soon, Lightpaw was exhausted from her efforts, and Raggedtail was definitely not much better.

"I suppose," the ginger cat breathed, "we should return to camp and rest."

Raggedtail nodded and led the way back.

Soon, the sun touched the dark shapes of trees, the green of pines and the pale yellow of the sun contrasting nicely. At this sign, Lightpaw stood and dashed for the Medicine Den, two mice in mouth. Once she was in the darkness of the bracken, she slowed to a crawl, which was actually just as difficult as running for her. She found herself staring at her sister's form. It was among many others who had taken significant wounds, but she lay separate from the rest. Thank Starclan Raincloud wasn't there. She scuffled forward with deliberate volume, so her sister (among others) turned to her curiously.

The two cats locked eyes with peculiar acknowledgment, them now knowing how different they truly were. Lightpaw spoke, finally. "Are you hungry?"

Her sister's eyes were still queerly hollow. She mouthed a no, and only after a long moment, as though Lightpaw's words had to claw through a layer of brambles to reach her ears.

The ginger cat sat down anyways and ate in silence for a moment. Then, she began talking, not really expecting Blizzardpaw to respond. "That's okay. I'm sure someone will take this mouse."

She didn't react, sitting stiffly as though her wounds caused her pain with every miniscule motion. "I trained with Raggedtail today. She said I was really good. Cometclan won't be able to touch our camp with me defending!" Silence.

"Yeah, Fire-eye told me I could be a guard. I guess it's better than being crowfood, though." Not even a glance. She'd have to go to her last resort. "You and Raincloud are spending a lot of time together."

Something other than nothing shone in her pale eyes as Blizzardpaw glared at her sister. "What do you want?" she meowed, though it seemed edgy, as though a growl was only a pawstep away.

"Did you forgive me yet?"

She lost her sister's gaze, but not her attention. "I guess."

I can't tell if that's genuine. "I won't leave you alone until you promise I'm forgiven."

Blizzardpaw huffed, clearly annoyed by the prospect. After uncountable heartbeats of stubborn silence, her sister finally gave in, begrudgingly muttering, "I promise."

"Tell Raincloud I'm sorry."

"Do it yourself." She lied her head down.

Finally, Lightpaw also gave in, slowly exiting the stuffy den. Though her sister left her again discouraged, Lightpaw was at least happy to know she had forgiven her enough to say so.


	14. Placement

Pain is torture.

A spasm of now-common pain hit Blizzardpaw's back and chest. A yell nearly escaped her throat, but she barely managed to restrain it, her teeth bared.

Torture is life. So, therefore, life is pain?

The she-cat's agony eventually passed, a small groan soon following. She stiffly curled into a tight ball, agitating her healing wounds greatly. Blizzardpaw's rib cage ached terribly due to the wound Dirttail dealt to her, and even as she thought of it, an inferno passed over the area. Resisting the urge to moan, the apprentice curled into an ever tighter ball, hoping that doing so would somehow alleviate her suffering.

Streampaw appeared near the apprentice with a worried gaze. She crouched and stared at Blizzardpaw, who was swallowing down another moan. "Are you any better?"

"Y...Yeah. I think," the runt responded, stiffly sitting up to prove her point. Her injuries began throbbing in unison as she did so, causing Blizzardpaw to gasp. As she drew to her full height, the she-cat bowed her head and inhaled shakily.

Streampaw sighed and stood. "I guess it's not surprising that you're barely any better. It's only been a day or two."

A weak nod was all Blizzardpaw gave. The apprentice observed the crowded den, halting as her gaze met Lightpaw's. Her eyes lit up with hope at Blizzardpaw, and she stood, hobbling towards the she-cat with stubborn insistence.

The runt immediately lowered her head, not wishing to speak with Lightpaw. She heard the latter settle nearby, followed by a small sigh.

"I heard that you fought well at the Gathering. And judging from those injuries, you were!" Lightpaw mewed, attempting to ignite a conversation. But Blizzardpaw stayed silent, head bowed, eyes hidden and pained.

The ginger she-cat continued speaking. "Raincloud's been visiting you a lot. Why's that?"

An unexplained need to defend herself hit Blizzardpaw. She muttered quietly, "Do you have a problem with that?"

"N-No, I was just curious. You guys have been spending a lot of time together, so..."

Blizzardpaw didn't allow her sibling to finish as she rose, grimacing and stumbling out of the den. The apprentice briskly padded towards a secluded area of camp, her wobbly legs faltering often. As she reached her destination, she allowed herself to collapse. Blizzardpaw exhaled unsteadily and stared at nothing in a detatched manner; focusing on the pain of her injuries would result in a hoarse yowl.

Her attention was drawn by a passing shadow, which halted and loomed over the apprentice. Raincloud stared at the she-cat with a tilted head, both humor and concern present in his eyes.

"Have you finally escaped that stuffy den?" he mused.

Blizzardpaw meekly shrugged, grimacing slightly as she did so. "Snuck out, I guess..."

"Is that really wise?" the tom murmured and sat, still gazing at the she-cat. "I mean, you still have a lot of trouble moving around, from the looks of it."

"It's fine. Even if it wasn't, I hate being near so many cats."

Raincloud sighed. He raised his tail and subconsciously brushed it against Blizzardpaw's face, causing the latter to become extremely uncomfortable. "You're too stubborn for your own good."

"R-Right," the she stammered, surprised at how flustered she was. She began to scoot away; instead of escaping Raincloud, however, Blizzardpaw rendered herself stuck, as her injuries began to agitate her again. The apprentice stayed still and barely breathed, hoping that no movement would drive away her pain for the moment.

Raincloud slinked over and nudged the she-cat, causing her to yelp. She murmured, "That makes it hurt. Stop."

"Ohh. Okay."

After a terse moment, Blizzardpaw released an exhale. She glanced over at Raincloud, smiling slightly. "Sorry. I just have to stay still sometimes."

The tom scoffed. "You'd stay still if you would just stay in the Medicine Den."

"Shh."

"Hmph."

The two sat in silence for a moment, when they were then interrupted by Fallstar's yowl.

"Cats of the Moon! Gather underneath the ledge!" he yelled, his booming voice echoing across the clearing. Blizzardpaw, overcome by curiosity, stood, grimacing and nearly falling. As her legs faltered, Raincloud nudged the apprentice to her feet, guiding her towards the mass of cats nearby. They settled next to Lightpaw, who glanced at Blizzardpaw with both excitement and sadness.

Fallstar inhaled deeply. "Lightpaw and Blizzardpaw. Step forward, please."

The grey cat's eyes widened as her name was called, overwhelmed by the sound of her now-pounding heart. She tenaciously stumbled forward, ignoring the whispers of nearby cats. Lightpaw followed with her usual stubborn gait.

They sat, quivering with excitement, as Fallstar resumed speaking. "I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand your noble code, and I commend them with your approval."

The regal tom paused for a moment, giving the atmosphere a dramatic quality to it. "Lightpaw, from this moment forward, you shall be known as Lightstep. You are to be a guard."  
Lightstep, with a strange shimmer in her eyes, nodded, seeming slightly hurt. "Thank you."

Fallstar bowed his head and turned to the second apprentice. "Blizzardpaw, from this moment forward, you shall be known as Blizzardtail. You are to be a warrior."

The she-cat jumped at her new rank. She was a warrior. But what drove Fallstar to give Blizzardtail such a title?

Realizing that she had absorbed many seconds, Blizzardtail bowed her head hastily. "Th-Thank you, Fallstar."

The majestic tom smiled and gazed at his assembled clan. "You are dismissed!"

With a large cloud of chatter, cats broke away and began conversing, proceeding with their everyday lives. Fallstar bounded towards the two she-cats and nodded, pride evident in his gaze. "Tonight, you will perform your silent vigil."

"Y-Yeah," Blizzardtail murmured, still dazed at the recent turn of events. Lightstep nodded and glanced at the sky, which had accumulated a beautiful orange glaze. The ginger she rose and limped towards the camp entrance.

Blizzardtail exhaled shakily and rose as well, wincing as she did so. With uncertain steps, she padded forward and settled next to Lightstep, observing the camp. The sky, she realized, was quickly darkening; its hue was now a dark, hazy blue. As she continued her observation of the clearing, she spotted Raincloud, who seemed to swell with happiness. The tom smiled at Blizzardtail, and the latter returned the action.

The she-cat proceeded throughout the night with a cheerful glimmer to her pale eyes.

As dawn began to break across the horizon, Thunderstorm appeared and ended the new warriors' vigil.

Blizzardtail was full of newfound energy, despite her lack of slumber. She trudged towards the clearing with a bright fire in her eyes. I'm a warrior now...I bet the clan won't dislike me, now that they see that Fallstar has trusted me enough for a ceremony. Right?

"Mm...I bet so," she murmured to herself, then padding towards the fresh-kill pile. Blizzardtail grabbed a minuscule vole and trotted towards her secluded area. She settled with a contempt sigh, biting into her meal. The tangible meat slid down her throat right as Raincloud appeared. He seemed hesitant, as if he were hiding something.

Blizzardtail tilted her head. "Hm?"

The tom exhaled deeply. "Would you like to, um...go hunting later?" His voice carried a reserved tone to it.

"Uh...S-Sure," she responded, curious. Raincloud's hesitant movements confused her, unnerving the she-cat greatly. "Is something wrong?"

Raincloud jumped, shuffling his paws and lowering his gaze. "U-Um...No. You'll see."

"Okay, then..."

And with that, the tom exited the scene. Blizzardtail was able to spot a slight smile on his face before he completely faded from view.

The sun had risen and fallen, its fading hue giving the sky a collage of bright colors. Clouds were sluggishly traversing the air, outlined by the dying light's brilliance. Blizzardtail began trudging towards the camp's exit, her heart fluttering for no exact reason. Her nerves were on edge as well, but the she-cat did not know why. Shaking her head furiously, Blizzardtail passed through the exit and padded straight, awestruck at the forest's beauty in the fading day.

After sauntering for numerous minutes, she stumbled upon Raincloud, who seemed just as jittery as she. The tom smiled nervously and stood, tenaciously padding towards Blizzardtail. She immediately tensed, unsure of what to expect.

Why am I so afraid? It's just Raincloud...So why?

Raincloud nudged the she-cat, his tense tail brushing against her side. "S-So...I told you to come out for hunting and...you did...," he stammered, his voice full of fluster.

"Mmhmm..." Blizzardtail stared at the tom, her heart beating against her chest. Why was this so unnerving?

A terse chuckle escaped Raincloud's mouth, and he turned to gaze at the she-cat. His eyes shimmered with fear, and his legs were trembling ever so slightly. Blizzardtail stared right back, equally afraid and tense.

"I um...Er..." Raincloud shook his head and shakily exhaled, racking his brain for the appropriate words.

"You...? What?" Blizzardtail murmured, terrified that her heart would burst from the overwhelming suspense. A sudden wave of exhaustion hit, accented by the dull throbbing of her wounds, but eventually her adrenaline overshadowed everything.

"I...Will you be my mate?" the tom gushed quickly and drew back, his muscles stiff and unmoving as he waited for a response.

Blizzardtail stared at the tom for a moment, her mind processing the question slower than a snail. Something finally clicked, and she jumped, reaching a final revelation.

So that's why I was so jittery...

The she-cat smiled. "Y-Yeah."

Raincloud stood there for a number of seconds before a large grin hit. He laughed with joy and dived forward, nudging Blizzardtail incessantly. The she-cat tensed greatly and stood there like a deer in headlights, unused to the touch. But Raincloud persisted, and eventually the runt relaxed, returning a nudge.

The tom backed away with a huge smile on his face. "I was afraid you wouldn't say yes! But you did!"

Blizzardtail grinned. "It took me a few moments, but I finally figured it out, huh..."

"Figured out what?"

"Ah...," the she-cat murmured, "just my feelings."

Raincloud seemed to understand and laughed once again, placing his tail on top of Blizzardtail's. She glanced at the tom and smiled, feeling comfort in the touch. Happiness flooded over the she-cat, an emotion that Blizzardtail had long since given up on. As Raincloud began to ramble on about who-knows-what, the runt allowed herself a small victory.

Blizzardtail had finally found a suitable spot in her storm of emotions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting! This has been a ton of fun to to write (and I'm sure Blizz would agree). Of course, this isn't over. We plan to write the next book in the series this summer. And don't worry, this isn't going to be a six-book long Warriors copy.
> 
> We're going to post some extra stuff later this week. It'll be like an inside look at the book's creation.
> 
> ONE MORE THING. We've hidden a little math reference in the chapter. First to find it and tell us gets a reward from me. (Hint: It follows the transitive law. If you don't know what it is, look it up.)


	15. Extras

Over the course of this, we kept in touch via Skype (the best and fastest of IM) to debate and joke and whatnot. Considering how serious the story seems to act, we definitely didn't act like we took it seriously...

Kikyo (AKA Lightpaw): so the Lightpaw chapter will involve her training... what else?

Blizz (duh Blizzardpaw): Everyone btching about SUnclan

Kikyo: What all do we need to do to wrap up the story and lay the groundwork for the next one

Blizz: hmm

Kikyo: -Blizz and Light become warriors

-BlizzCloud

-Clan is happy in the end

-All conflicts are either wrapped up or put aside like Nettlepaw

Blizz: blizzcloud ftw

Blizz: ANd yeah that

Kikyo: The clan's hatred of Blizz is still and problem

Kikyo: we must resolve

Blizz: Fallstar: at da gathrng she proovd she wuz brayv cuz she livd throo drttayl trturng hr

Kikyo: We should have her do something to prove her worth too

Blizz: hmmmmmmmMMMMM

Blizz: HMMMMMMMMMMM

Blizz: Help Lightpaw train or something

Blizz: I'm pretty sure she'd still be punished by then anyways

Kikyo: Okay and what do we call this chapter

Blizz: errrr

Blizz: uhhhhh

Blizz: hmmmm

Blizz: Retribution?

Blizz: wait crap

Blizz: it's 'p' isn't it

Kikyo: mmhmm

Blizz: phh

Blizz: let's name it phhh

Kikyo: XD

Blizz: oopsie

Kikyo: Retribution is the same as punishment AND penalty

Blizz: yeah true

Kikyo: choose one

Blizz: um

Blizz: um

Blizz: uh

Blizz: UH

Blizz: hm

Blizz: Penalty isn't as obvious so that one

Kikyo: Okay

Blizz: Perturbation means rage

Blizz: if you want to use that

Kikyo: I like that let's do that

Blizz: muahahah

Kikyo: Maybe you can do a Gathering :/  
Blizz: another oneeeeeeeeeeeeeee  
Blizz: egh  
Kikyo: What if I let fighting happen in it? e-e  
Blizz: ovo  
Blizz is entirely too agreeable when it comes to violence

Chapter Ten: As Described Over Skype

Kikyo: This is gonna be where Sun's like "we like comet" and Moon's like "nuh we refooos"  
Blizz: Group: ugh it's cold hurry up Fallstar: shut up and deal with it Blizzard: -faceplants- im too tired good night  
Blizz: Stonestar: fish are friends not food Fallstar: NO THEY'RE FOOD *slaps Stonestar* Gathering: *explodes and murders everything*  
Blizz: Dirttail: JUST KEEP SCREAMING I CAN ALMOST FEEL YOUR HEART. Blizzard: OMG HELP OW AHHHH Fallstar: wut o nu blizerd- *death blow*

 

EARLY VERSION OF THE STORY

I doubt any of you were here back in the "old days" when I first starting writing this... before Blizz was working with me, even. It was pretty different, but it had the same cats and concept. It was called "Rise of Shadows" and I still have the first two chapters. So here you go. Completely unedited.

Light shifted clearly through the few leaves that remained on the trees, sprinkling on the leaves that had fallen. The air was becoming chilly as leafbare threatened the forest. The cats that had experience of the season felt constantly anxious for it to come and go as soon as possible.

Lightpaw saw a mouse in the distance. It scuttled carelessly among the undergrowth, unaware of her presence. She slowly began to edge toward it, and made sure not to step on any crunchy leaves. Suddenly, her paw slipped, and she stumbled forward. The mouse immediately disappeared into the thick shrubs. Lightpaw hissed her displeasure.

"It's okay, Lightpaw," Mudfoot meowed calmly, "This is one of your first attempts to catch prey, and we still have a long day ahead of us."

Mudfoot made a strong point, but Lightpaw couldn't help feel failure growing slowly in her chest. Three attempts to catch something, and nothing to show for it! "I bet Blizzardpaw is already learning fish hunting!" she thought in disgust.

Mudfoot led her in the direction of Rock Lake in silence as they continued to explore the territory. Lightpaw spent the time alert for prey. She was determined to show her mentor what she was capable of. Once they were nearly there, Mudfoot looked at her and sighed.

"Lightpaw?" Mudfoot meowed, grabbing her attention.

"Yes?" she looked up expectantly.

"Um… nevermind," he said, quickly glancing away.

"What is it?" she tried to ask.

The conversation was interrupted as they reached Rock Lake. Lightpaw immediately saw why it was called Rock Lake, for all the sides were lined with rocky ground. The lake itself was huge, and the water glistened with a clear blue. The massive evergreens surrounding it completed the scenery. Mudfoot sat and stared across the lake, as though he was remembering something distant.

"There are lots of fish live in this lake," he explained, "It's a great spot for fishing, as long as you don't have soft paws."

"I don't!" she argued playfully.

The two headed back to the camp. As they walked, Mudfoot talked about Fallstar's bravery during the battle that felled the deputy. He explained that everyone knew who would be the new deputy long before Riverstar made it official. As they, finally reached the camp, Lightpaw was surprised to find Rainpaw arguing with his mentor, Thunderstorm. She padded over to Blizzardpaw, who watched with a very worried look.

"I was just catching some prey for the elders!" Rainpaw spat.

"Then why were you hunting so close to Stream? It seemed like you were taking Blizzardpaw there for some reason!" Thunderstorm meowed sharply.

"I had chased a rabbit that way," Rainpaw meowed in defense.

Thunderstorm turned to Blizzardpaw, who shrunk down. His yellow eyes gleamed like the cats of Starclan in the night sky.

"Is this true?" he questioned.

Blizzardpaw took a deep breath and answered, "N-no. I wanted to… see Stream, so I insisted we go take a peek. Rainpaw said we shouldn't…" she trailed her voice off.

"Blizzardpaw…" Rainpaw gave her a glance with both thankfulness and excitement.

Thunderstorm shifted himself up taller, and his eyes softened, "All right. I will report this to Fallstar, but you will be given no punishment."

Rainpaw dipped his head and quickly padded towards the apprentice den. After Thunderstorm had left, Lightpaw asked, "What was that all about?"

Blizzardpaw shifted uncomfortably on her paws and quietly meowed, "Rainpaw… we went hunting… Alone."

Lightpaw was about to argue when Fire-eye, the deputy, marched over to them.

"Ahh, Lightpaw, Blizzardpaw, how are you two?" he smiled warmly.

Each cat meowed, "Good."

"Okay. I just wanted to let you know that a day after the next Gathering, you two will be taking your Territory Exploration. You two, Rainpaw, and two cats from Stream will be venturing around the territory, and I will be judging your actions and skills. This will have a large affect on whether you're a warrior or a guard. One of you five will be a guard, because we need a new one," he explained.

Lightpaw and Blizzardpaw exchanged excited glances of excitement. The Gathering was in two days.

"Lightpaw," a deep, soothing meow spoke her name. She looked around for the cat, but the forest surrounded her. "Lightpaw… your paws…"

Lightpaw finally jumped onto her paws, awaking from the dream. Rainpaw was sitting next to her, looking impatient. He said she was needed outside. She walked out of the den, where Thunderstorm, Mudfoot, Blizzardpaw, and Silverpelt stood. The large group of cats headed to a dirt clearing near the camp where apprentices often sparred.

"Today we will be teaching you to catch birds," meowed Thunderstorm. He immediately dropped into a crouch. Lightpaw examined what made it different from stalking a mouse as he crept forward: the shorter steps and lower crouch looked especially difficult. She noticed he kept his eyes on Mudfoot, who was licking his paw as though this wasn't important for the clan's future. Thunderstorm suddenly yowled and leaped onto Mudfoot's tail. Mudfoot jumped a clear five mouse lengths in the air, mewling like a terrified kitten. Everybody purred loudly in amusement. Mudfoot's expression slowly changed from fear to confusion to embarrassment.

"Mouse-brain!" Silverpelt managed to say. After they had all settled down, Mudfoot now paying close attention, Thunderstorm asked that the three apprentices try the crouch. Blizzardpaw slouched down, looking completely flawless in Lightpaw's perspective.

"If you go that speed, you'll run into the bird before you can even unsheathe your claws!" Silverpelt commented. Blizzardpaw slowed her pace, "Good."

Blizzardpaw sat down and looked at Lightpaw. Don't mess this up, Lightpaw thought, wanting to give the three warriors a good impression of her skills. She crouched down, focusing as much as she could. She took a deep breath and centered her thoughts as she inched forward.

"Speed up. And… you can crouch lower than that," Mudfoot said. His voice was still shaken.

Lightpaw tried her best to crouch even lower, but it seemed almost impossible. Her legs began to hurt and she felt terribly uncomfortable, but she continued to try. Finally, she could feel a rubbing on the short fur of her belly.

"Good job!" Thunderstorm meowed. Lightpaw felt graced in the praise of such a respected warrior. Rainpaw already knew all the crouches, but Lightpaw guessed he was here for a refresher lesson.

He looked around and confidently stalked towards his mentor. He made no error. Once he was finished, he turned to look at everyone, but after a quick sweep over the crowd Lightpaw noticed his eyes shift straight to Blizzardpaw.

"Perfect, Rainpaw. You'll make a fine warrior," Thunderstorm commented.

After a bit of practice on the crouch, the cats headed back to the camp. Once they got there, a white tom rushed over to greet them.

"Oh, Fire-eye has called Thunderstorm and Silverpelt and their apprentices to join a town report in Stream tomorrow," he explained, "along with Shadowclaw and Wildeye."

Lightpaw almost hissed out loud. Blizzardpaw was going on a town report, and she didn't get to go. It felt unfair, like the entire universe was abandoning her suddenly. She stalked over to the fresh-kill pile and took a small mouse. She ate silently, listening to the other two apprentices chat excitedly. Blizzardpaw had wanted to go anyway. It was surprising they didn't hand off any punishment to either of them.

"All cats brave enough to prowl the night gather for a clan meeting!" Fallstar called.

Lightpaw followed the streams of cats gathering to sit near the edge of the valley. It twisted up steeply to an area where Fallstar sat with a turquoise tom that smelled unfamiliar, but still distinctly Moonclan. Her father looked as proud and strong as ever.

"Ashface, Silverpelt, and Lillypath, please step forward," he commanded. The two cats walked up, sharing confused expressions.

"A command has been sent from Hunt," he said, and turned to face the turquoise tom.

"My name is Lakeleaf," the tom said, looking a bit embarrassed, "We have recently been having some issues with some peculiar cats that are not a part of the either Sunclan or Moonclan, but are still a Celestial Clan," immediately cats murmured to each other, but quickly turned back their attention, "They call themselves Cometclan, but they don't abide by the warrior code. They demand to be a major part of the Celestial Clans and recently attacked us and… they killed Bluecloud," this sent cries of outrage from the cats, "I came here today because we need some warriors to go and help us defend against further attack."

"I have selected you three to go there. Ashface," he eyed the elderly black tom, "you have served our clan well all these years, despite torment for your kittypet roots. Are you willing to fight one last battle before turning to the life of an elder?"

Cats respectfully nodded to him, acknowledging all he has done for the clan as Ashface replied, "Let's just hope I don't kill myself," Amused purrs rippled through the crowd.

"You all shall leave tomorrow at dawn. I will alert you when to return," Fallstar said.

"Wait!" Thunderstorm said, "Who will take Silverpelt's place at the patrol tomorrow?"

"Mudfoot and his apprentice can go," he looked at Mudfoot, who nodded in approval.

Lightpaw crawled into her bed, kneading her paws restlessly, until finally Rainpaw kicked her and she stopped and fell asleep.

 

FUTURE PLANS

As for what we're doing next, I can promise A LOT. In fact, I'll be writing three separate story branches, all in the same universe. Moon is just one of them.

Moon- The story of Blizzardtail and Lightstep, and later on, their children. ;) Also written by me and Blizz

Sun- I can't provide much information on this one, but as of right now, its going to be about a little cat named Mosquitopaw who was "different." I may write this with someone else also..

Comet- The full, detailed story of the clan who just wouldn't be accepted. This one I'm definitely writing alone.

SORRY. THIS IS LATE, I KNOW.


End file.
